Woody Plants
Introduction to anatomy, physiology, reproduction, and ecology of woody plants. Field trips emphasize identification and ecology; laboratory sessions focus on structure and function. Course objectives include:

• Learning to recognize species belonging to one of the most conspicuous and majestic groups of organisms
• Being able to "read a landscape": Which tree species are there and why?
• Gaining insight into how the physiology of each species prepares it to succeed in a particular habitat
• Gaining expertise in quantitative methods and writing skills

To do well in this course you will need to:

• Attend all classes and take detailed notes, both in lecture and out in the field. Exams will be based almost entirely on lectures and field work.
• Look over the suggested readings and web sites so that lecture will be a reinforcement, rather than your first introduction to the material.
• Prepare for lab so that you are familiar with the plants you should expect to see at a particular site. Expert naturalists don't explore a new habitat cold; neither should you.
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SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE: Fall 2008

To see the assigment for a particular week,  click on the topic name.  Click here for the laboratory website. Note that laboratories will not always end promptly at 4:00.
Date	Lecture	Laboratory
Sept 3 - 5	Identification	Prepare for first lab
Sept 8 - 12	Site factors: geology and topography	Perkins Arboretum
Sept 15 - 19	Site factors: soil	Xeric woodland -- The Mountain
Sept 22 - 26	Site factors: disturbance	Floodplain forest -- Oxbow
Sept 29 - Oct 1	Regeneration ecology	Colby-Marston bog
Oct 8	First exam
Oct 6 - 10	Competition & Tolerance	Mesic hardwoods -- Garcelon
Oct 15 - 17	Introduction to anatomy	Fall break
Oct 20 - 24	Stems and water	Coniferous forest -- China
Oct 27 - 31	Light and leaves	Field Exam
Nov 3 - 7	Roots and mycorrizhae	Stomatal density
Nov 10 - 14	Animals and diseases	Survey invasive plants - Davidson
Nov 19	Second exam
Nov 17 - 24	Temperature and climate	Eradicate invasive plants - Davidson
Dec 1 - 5	Forests of the world	Reproductive strategies of maples

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READING AND ASSIGNMENTS: Fall 2008

Date	Topic	Reading
Sept 3 - 5	Identification --  leaves, buds, bark, fruit	Pages 1-23, 31-32 in Michigan Trees.   prepare species report based on Dendrology & Silvics. Due September 15th.    For photos of tree flowers and fruit, see a great website of the trees at Iowa State
Sept 8-12	Site factors: geology and topography	Read the first fact sheet, on Surficial Geologic History of Maine by the Maine Geological Survey    Study supporting materials on a map of the Surficial Geology of Maine    Download lecture notes on topography and geology
Sept 15-19	Site factors: soil	MANDATORY READING:  Electronic reserve, Ch 11: Soil, from Forest Ecology by Barnes et al.   Electronic reserve, Soil Survey of Kennebec County, Maine   Soil Survey of Kennebec County, Maine, map   Lecture notes on physical properties of soil   Soil texture handout (I will bring printouts to class)   Soil texture and available water (I will bring printouts to class)   Lecture notes on chemical properties of soil   Website on root symbioses
Sept 22 - 26	Site factors: disturbance	Optional -- see supplemental text on reserve, Chapter 12   see a map of historical fire regimes at the US Forest Service's website on Wildland Fire and Fuel Management     awesome USDOI/USGS fire model showing departure of current landscapes from historical regimes   Nonserotinous and serotinous cones of lodgepole pine   Hug a tree redwood page showing photo of burl   Amazing picture of fire in the Bitterroot National Forest in Idaho   Squires fire burn photos   Wildland Fire Statistics   Positive Impact Forestry e-book. Chapter 3 covers silviculture.   The Forests of Maine 2003 Report   Photos of feller-bunchers and skidders   Horse logging in Ontario   Wikipedia's article on cut to length logging   Learn about invasive plants from the Plant Conservation Alliance
Sept 29 - Oct 1	Regeneration ecology	Lecture notes on regeneration ecology   See Michigan Trees, pp. 28-32   Recommended -- see supplemental text on reserve, Chapter 5, or at the least read pp. 394-399 in Michigan Trees    Photos of a seed and germinating seedlings
Oct 6 - 10	Competition & tolerance, succession	Optional -- see supplemental text on reserve, pages 386-406    Optional -- see supplemental text on reserve, Chapter 17    See Michigan Trees for a review of site requirements (pp. 33-36) and an overview of tolerance (pp. 399-406)   Horn's matrix model applied to Alonzo Garcelon data   Guest Lecture by Ken Laustsen, Biometrician, Maine Forest Service
Oct 15 - 17	Introduction to anatomy	skim Conifer life cycles and Angiosperm reproduction and life cycle    see nice pictures of pine life stages     Lecture notes on tissue types and xylem
Oct 20 - 24	Stems and water	Optional -- see supplemental text on reserve, pages 138-148 and 264-265   On reserve: Stems, pp. 122-143 and 195-227 from Mauseth   Lecture notes on phloem and wood   Mauseth's anatomy images   For an overview of wood anatomy, see Michigan Trees, pp. 23-26
Oct 27 - 31	Light and leaves	Supplemental textbook on reserve, Chapter 8   On reserve: Leaves, pp. 151-161 from Mauseth   Lecture notes on leaves   Lecture notes on water relations   Recommended electronic reserve: Water relations of trees   For a look at fall coloration, see Michigan Trees, pp. 40-42
Nov 3 - 14	Roots, fungi, and mycorrhizae	Lecture notes on roots   Supplemental textbook on reserve, mycorrhizae, pp. 384-386   On reserve: Roots, pp. 173-185 from Mauseth   Intro to phyla of fungi and mycorrhizae    Tom Volk's Fungi
Nov 17-24	Diseases and animals	Lecture notes on fungal root rot and vascular wilts   Lecture notes on fungal cankers   One of many useful forest and disease leaflets published by the USDA focuses on Beech bark disease    Read about Sudden Oak Death California Oak Mortality Task Force    The role of animals in forests is discussed in the supplemental textbook on reserve, Chapter 14   Maine insect and disease conditions for year 2005    Learn about the gypsy moth and its viral and fungal controls at Hajek's conference talk    Hemlock wooly adelgid    Learn about the the Asian long-horned beetle from the APHIS web site. See damage to maples at this Cornell web site.     Lots of information on deer in Maine at this and related pages posted by the Maine Dept of Wildlife.
Dec 1-5	Climate and forests of the world	Supplemental textbook, Chapters 7, 9, and 22   E-reserve on world climate    Biomes of the world    Lecture notes on biomes   Forests of the world    Climate change and tree distributions

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ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

"Investment" refers to approximate number of hours expended outside of class time.
Assignment	Due Date*	Investment	Point Value
Species report	Sept 15	~ 3 hours	10 points
Field quizzes	Weeks 3-8	~ 2 hours	1 point each
Site report	Variable	~2 hours	10 points
First lecture exam	Oct 8	~ 2 for each hour of lecture	75 points
Library research paper topic	Oct 24	up to 5 hours	5 points if not late
Field exam	Oct 27 31	20 + hours	50 points
Research paper	Dec 5	20 + hours	35 points
Second lecture exam	Nov 19	~ 2 for each hour of lecture	75 points
Lab reports	last 4 labs	~ 2 hrs each	10 points each
Final exam Includes material from laboratory	TBA	you will know by now	100 points


*Grades for late work will be reduced by 10% per calendar day.

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Species report

You will each write a brief paper describing the natural history of a tree species that is common in Maine. The main purpose of this assignment is for you and your classmates to develop expertise, so that in any group of you, someone will know about the natural history of any one of the most common trees in Maine. A secondary objective is for you to become familiar with two wonderful resources: the on-line dendrology"fact sheets", and the classic Silvics of North America.
 
1) You may choose your species, if you have a preference; otherwise we will draw one out of a hat. Swapping is allowed.
 

2) Go to the dendrology web site Dendrology & Silvics and find your assigned species under "Fact Sheets for Tree Identification".
 

3) At the bottom of the fact sheet, you will find links to the original and updated USDA silvics manuals. Look through both versions, searching for information on the topics below. The original manual is difficult to read, but gives you a glimpse of the range of information that you will be mastering in this course. Then summarize the information you have learned in a one-to-two page paper (in your own words) including:
 

i) a paragraph on soils and topography
ii) a sentence or two on associated forest cover (can be blended with another paragraph)
iii) up to a paragraph on reproduction and growth
iv) a paragraph on reaction to competition and fire ecology
v) information on any prominant insect or disease problems


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