Certificate Course in
Ecosystem Silviculture.
UMN North Central Research and Outreach Center,
Grand Rapids, MN.
Overview
 Our objective is to facilitate the application of ecosystem classification to silvicultural and stewardship planning and to forest management operations, thereby supporting the maintenance or restoration of sustainable, healthy forest ecosystems and enhancing economic productivity in Minnesota’s forests.
Our focus is ecosystem silviculture – using new tools (ecological classification) and tools as old as the hills (such as soil surveys and forest inventory) to meet goals of sustainable forest management. This course takes place at the UMN North Central Research and Outreach Center in Grand Rapids over a period of 9½ class days. There will be three groups with up to 20 trainees in each group. The first group began July 2005. The remaining two groups will begin July 2006. Please contact Louise Levy llevy@umn.edu for more information. Course prerequisites
- Plant identification workshop or demonstrated skill
- Introduction to Ecological Classification Systems workshop
Course Development Team:
Cheryl Adams, UPM Kymmene; John Almendinger, Alaina Berger, and Dan Hanson, MN DNR; Beth Jacqmain, Aitkin County Land Department; Louise Levy, UMN; Julie Ernst, UMD.
Funders:
Blandin Foundation, Vital Forests Vital Communities, Sustainable
Course Syllabus:
View Certificate Course in Ecosystem Silviculture syllabus (.pdf)
SAF CEUs:
Module 1 - 5.0
Module 2 - 6.5
Module 3 - 5.5
Module 4 - 19
Module 5 - 19.5
Module 6 - 9.5
(all CFE contact hours for this course are in category 1)
Cost:
$700 ($475 SFEC). Fee includes course materials, lunches, and breaks. Fee does not include lodging, breakfast, or dinner. Financial assistance is available through a limited number of scholarships.
Directions:
Unless otherwise noted, all modules will meet at the UMN NC Research and Outreach Center. The Center is located on Highway 169, just to the east of the Itasca Community College campus in Grand Rapids. Please visit the Center's website for directions and a map.
Registration:
If interested in future offerings, please contact Louise Levy at llevy@umn.edu or 218-726-6404.
For more information about this program, including applications, please contact Louise Levy at 218-726-6404 or llevy@umn.edu.
Is this course for me?
This certificate program is for you if you want to include ecological tools in your forest management, if you want to protect biological diversity, if you have wildlife areas of special concern, if you want to identify areas best suited to wood fiber production, if you want to be a better forester.
It may also be for you if your employer or landowner is considering land certification (e.g. through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative or Forest Stewardship Council) since these certification programs identify forest management based on land classification as an important tool of sustainable forest management.
This is a “train-the-trainer” program. After completing the certificate course, participants are expected to work with their colleagues to share what they have learned.
Who should apply?
We are looking for forest management field staff – foresters and wildlife biologists – from county land departments, tribal forest management departments, forest industry, USDA Forest Service, the MN Department of Natural Resources, private forest consultants, and soil and water conservation districts. Post-secondary instructors who teach forestry curricula are also included.
Course materials include:
- Field guides
- Flora ID cd’s
- Plant identification references
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