Undergraduate Course Catalog 2015-2016

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 supported 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 Requirements

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: $715*

*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 concentration 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 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
COM	209	Expository Writing and Reading	4
FORT	461	Dendrology	3
FORT	463	Forest Ecology	2
FORT	463A	Forest Ecology Lab	1
FORT	465	Forest Orientation Seminar	1
MTH	203	Algebra and Trigonometry	3
TSAS	405	Computers in the Workplace	2

First Year, Spring Semester

Abbreviation	Course Number	Title	Credits
FORT	460	Forest Mapping	2
FORT	466	Forest Surveying	4
FORT	470	Applied Silviculture	4
FORT	475	Forestry Field Practices	1
SSCI	202	Social Issues	4

Second Year, Fall Semester

Abbreviation	Course Number	Title	Credits
COM	210	Public Speaking	3
FORT	569	Wildlife Ecology and Conservation	3
FORT	572	Mensuration	4
FORT	577	Forest Harvesting Systems	4
FORT	581	Remote Sensing and GIS for Foresters	3
FORT	597	Forestry Work Experience	0
		Elective OR	2 - 3
FORT	564	Arboriculture	3

Second Year, Spring Semester

Abbreviation	Course Number	Title	Credits
FORT	567	Leadership, Supervision and Safety	2
FORT	573	Management Operations and Analysis	3
FORT	574	Industrial Forest Management Tour	1
FORT	576	Forest Products	4
FORT	578	Forest Insects and Diseases	2
FORT	579	Forest Fire Control and Use	2
		Elective(s)	2 - 4

Total: 65 - 69 credits

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