Unit description
Considers the measurement of forest characteristics to ensure their proper conservation and management. Trees are big and forests are extensive, so special techniques must be used to measure them accurately. This course uses a general teaching approach to introduce modern methods and practice of forest measurement.
Unit content
- Reasons for measuring trees and forests
- Accuracy, precision and bias of measurements
- The plane survey
- Measurement of individual trees - stem diameter, tree height, stem volume and tree biomass. Use of tree volume, stem taper and biomass functions
- Measurement of stands - age, stocking density, quadratic mean diameter, basal area, dominant height, stem volume, biomass, site productive capacity, expression of growth. Point and plot stand measurement
- Measurement of forests - defining and measuring populations, sampling theory, conduct of inventory. Remote sensing applications.
Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.
Learning outcomes and graduate attributes
| On completion of this unit, students should be able to: | GA1 | GA2 | GA3 | GA4 | GA5 | GA6 | GA7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The ability to carry out basic forest measurements with adequate accuracy and precision | Ethical practice | Communication and social skills | |||||
| 2 | Knowledge of the measurements required to achieve some particular objectives of management | Knowledge of a discipline | ||||||
| 3 | The capability to plan and execute a forest inventory with adequate precision to serve particular objectives of management | Ethical practice | Knowledge of a discipline | Communication and social skills | ||||
Prescribed texts
Session 1
- The course is taught directly from this text and all students will require a copy: West, PW, 2015, Tree and Forest Measurement, 3rd edn, Springer International, Switzerland. ISBN: 978-3-319-14707-9.
Teaching and assessment
Lismore
| Teaching method |
| Lecture on-site 2 hours (11 weeks) |
| Lecture online 2 hours (11 weeks) |
| Residential session 4 days (Once during study session) |
| Assessment | |
| 4 Reports | 50% |
| Exam: open book | 50% |
Online
| Teaching method |
| Residential session 4 days (Once during study session) |
| Lecture online 2 hours (11 weeks) |
| Assessment | |
| 4 Reports | 50% |
| Exam: open book | 50% |
Fee information
Domestic
Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.
Commencing 2016 Commonwealth Supported only. Student contribution band: 2
Fee paying courses
For POSTGRADUATE or UNDERGRADUATE full fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees
International
Please check the international course and fee list to determine the relevant fees.