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Seeing the Forest and the Trees WINTER 1998-1999 Faculty: Nalini M. Nadkarni, Peter Impara, Judy Cushing Trees and forests are dynamic, three-dimensional, irregular living systems that interact in complex ways with the physical environment and with human societies. Understanding forests and human interactions with them requires us to gather and interpret quantitative, qualitative, and symbolic information. Numerous barriers impede our understanding of trees and forests: 1) the complex nature of tree and forest structure and lack of access to the forest canopy has impeded the development of visualization, statistical, and analytical tools; 2) scientific studies of forests deal with many different disciplines, from botany to micrometeorology, which must be reconciled and "translated" across disciplinary boundaries; 3) sociological and psychological barriers have traditionally discouraged data-sharing, even within particular disciplines - the academic system has traditionally rewarded those who make their work esoteric rather than readily accessible; and 4) until recently, scientific analysis of forest ecosystem processes were conducted at fine spatial scales, with little regard to the influence of the landscapes on those same processes at broader spatial scales. Our upper-division program examined how to overcome these barriers and promote the cross-fertilization of concepts, tools, skills, and approaches to better understand forests and trees. We convened faculty with expertise that represents forest ecology, landscape ecology, and database and computer science. Our team emphasized forest ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on The Evergreen State College campus. We developed skills in the contributing disciplines to: explore ways to represent trees and forests; assessed key factors that describe tree architecture and forest structure; and developed research projects to investigate the relationships between forest structure and function. A major focus was on ecology at the landscape and regional level. Emphasis overall was placed on development of quantitative and analytical skills. Lectures from faculty and guest speakers, workshops on winter twig and bryophyte identification, book seminars, and small group research projects helped us gain the skills to 1) explore ways to visually represent trees and forest; 2) assess factors that describe and affect tree architecture and forest structure, and 3) measure and interpret the relationships between trees, forests, and humans within local and regional perspectives. Students gained technical skills and theoretical understanding of mapping, cartography, and geographical information systems (GIS). They carried out weekly structured labs in GIS (ARCVIEW), and learned how to work with data files and create maps with multiple layers of spatial information. They also received training in descriptive statistics, elementary graphics, and principles of data archiving. We did readings and writing exercises to map, describe, and understand a forested area of the Evergreen campus, collect data using tools developed at other field research stations, and prepare representations of these forests for presentations. Seminar books were mainly literary works from the 19th and 20th century, which described different facets of the relationships between humans and trees. These included novels, essays, science fiction, and poetry. Students developed "group independent study projects" on topics of their own choosing. They wrote a formal grant proposal, critiqued each others' proposals through a class "peer review" process, and amended their proposals to incorporate this input. Some students took lab instruction to learn techniques of nutrient analysis in the laboratory. Students gained skills in collecting, managing, analyzing, archiving, and communicating a forest ecology group project that took place on our campus. They collected data on forest ecosystem structure and on two aspects of forest function, throughfall volume and litterfall biomass. They worked out harmonized methods of data collection and generated a common database to use and store the data for this class and students/researchers in the future. CREDIT EQUIVALENTS Fall Quarter Winter Quarter 2:Lecture and Forest Studies |
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