Undergraduate Course Catalog 2012-2013

Thompson School of Applied Science

» http://www.thompsonschool.unh.edu/

Forest Technology (FORT)

» http://www.thompsonschool.unh.edu/fort

Professor: Matthew C. Chagnon, Donald W. Quigley

Students in the forest technology (FORT) program are uniquely prepared for careers in the forest industries and natural resource management in New Hampshire and New England. Classroom lecture is backed up by practical field work in each of the subject areas. The curriculum is accredited by the Society of American Foresters (the first two-year program in the U.S. to earn this designation) and reviewed by an advisory committee representing the full spectrum of forestry organizations in the region. There is a strong emphasis on leadership, safety, communication skills, accuracy of field work, data collection, and professional presentation. Unique facilities for teaching and learning include centrally located classroom and shop facilities; 3,000+ acres of University-owned forest land; a new sawmill and Forest Industries Training Center (FITC); logging equipment; technologically advanced navigation, data collection and analysis equipment; and a faculty with vast field experience in the subject areas dedicated to teaching.

Admissions Requirement

Applicants to the forest technology program area must present college preparatory English and at least two years of satisfactory work in both college preparatory mathematics and science (one science being biology, with a lab).

Curriculum Fee

Forest technology: $654*

*This one-time curriculum fee is required to cover lab materials, specialized equipment maintenance, and transportation that are unique to the applied nature of the concentration. The curriculum fee covers the entire two-year course of study for one concentration. Any non-TSAS student may be assessed specific course fees, details of which are included in each semester's Time and Room Schedule. All fees are subject to change.

Forest Technician

Forest technicians help plan, direct, and operate forestry enterprises. Students in the forest technician specialization experience a breadth and depth of instruction. They are exposed to the theory and practice of planting, thinning, and other silvicultural operations, including harvesting supervision. They learn how to design, lay out, and construct roads and trails; how to map and survey property; how to manage woodlands to improve timber quality and wildlife habitat, and how to conserve soil, water, and other natural resources. Graduates work in the wood products-related industries, in public forestland management agencies, with forestry consulting firms or urban tree care companies, and with a range of conservation organizations. Graduates can become licensed in New Hampshire to practice forestry on private lands.

Career Opportunities:

Forestry consultant, forest fire control and use technician, mapping technician, geographic information systems/global positioning systems (GIS/GPS) technician, timber and log buyer, log scaler, lumber grader, sawmill technician, arborist, urban tree care specialist, timber cruiser/forest inventory technician, or forestry equipment/products sales representative.

Forest Technician Program of Study

First year, Fall Semester

Abbreviation	Course Number	Title	Credits
FORT	261	Dendrology	3
FORT	263	Forest Ecology	2
FORT	263A	Forest Ecology Lab	1
FORT	265	Forest Orientation Seminar	1
COM	209	Expository Writing and Reading	4
MTH	203	Algebra and Trigonometry	3
TSAS	205	Computers in the Workplace	2

First Year, Spring Semester

Abbreviation	Course Number	Title	Credits
FORT	260	Forest Mapping	2
FORT	266	Forest Surveying	4
FORT	270	Applied Silviculture	4
FORT	275	Forestry Field Practices	1
FORT	280	Aerial Photography Interpretation	2
SSCI	202	Social Issues	4

Second Year, Fall Semester

Abbreviation	Course Number	Title	Credits
FORT	269	Wildlife Ecology and Conservation	3
FORT	272	Mensuration	4
FORT	281	GIS for Foresters	2
FORT	297	Forestry Work Experience	0
FORT	477	Forest Harvesting Systems	4
COM	210	Public Speaking	2
		Elective(s)	2 - 3

Second Year, Spring Semester

Abbreviation	Course Number	Title	Credits

FORT	267	Leadership, Supervision and Safety	2
FORT	273	Management Operations and Analysis	3
FORT	274	Industrial Forest Management Tour	1
FORT	278	Forest Insects and Diseases	2
FORT	476	Forest Products	4
FORT	579	Forest Fire Control and Use	2
		Elective(s)	2 - 4

Total: 65 - 69 credits

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