LNAK10098 Forest and Nature Management Planning

Details
Responsible DepartmentForest & Landscape

Earliest Possible YearMSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year
DurationOne block
 
Credits15 (ECTS)
 
Level of CourseMSc
 
ExaminationFinal Examination

oral examination


All aids allowed

Description of Examination: The oral exam includes two parts. in the first part each student presents and discusses the forest and nature management report/plan on location. The second part is an examination based on compulsory material. The exam takes place in the case area.

Weight: Oral examination 100% (defence of plan 50%, examination based on compulsory material 50%). Individual oral examination of the management plan and questions based on subjects within the compulsory material.



7-point scale, external examiner
 
Requirement for Attending ExamDelivery of forest and nature management project report
 
Organisation of Teaching- Lectures including guest lectures - Exercises - Group presentations - Group discussions - Group project report - Seminars - Excursions
 
Block PlacementBlock 2
Week Structure: B

Block 2
Week Structure: C
 
Language of InstructionEnglish
 
RestrictionsNone
 
Course Content
Students of forest and nature management planning need to understand the complexity of planning and the challenges of managing forest and nature areas in a sustainable way. For forest and nature managers, sustainability managing a particular forest or nature area means determining, in a tangible way, how to use it today to ensure similar benefits, health and productivity in the future. Forest and nature managers must assess and integrate a wide array of sometimes conflicting factors - commercial and non-commercial values, environmental issues and community needs to produce sound and useful forest and nature plans. Modern forest and nature planning requires a new framework for understanding planning and policy. Trends of expert driven and rationality based decision processes are being replaced by nonlinear socially constructed processes engaging both experts and stakeholders. Trends in appropriate knowledge, where practice expert knowledge is dominant is replaced by an understanding that knowledge is a social construction and not only experts but lay people, and people with unique knowledge possess valid inputs to the basis for planning. Therefore, forest and nature managers develop their forest plans in consultation with citizens, businesses, organisations and other interested parties in and around the areas being managed. Additionally, plans must be feasible and economically viable.

Acknowledging the trends of planning in a complex world the course is interdisciplinary, but rests in particular on economic thinking. The topics taught in the course rest mostly on the rational planning paradigm. We see planning as a fundamentally rational element of in intelligent behaviour. Making rational decisions can be described using a step by step model: identifying issues and objectives, clarifying objectives, obtaining information on preferences and priorities, analysing options and possible policy tools, implementing the plan, controlling and monitoring the results and achievement of goals, evaluating the plan, and determining whether the management actions should terminate, proceed or be adjusted.

The course works its way through what we know about the prerequisites of informed decision-making, following the logical steps in identifying aims and objectives, investigating the state of forest / nature goods and services, and transforming objectives into management actions with due consideration of for who, when and how to implement management actions. Students will also acquire knowledge about reality planning and the relation between means (e.g. budgets) and ends (objectives).


 
Teaching and learning Methods
Plenary lectures on topics will be given. On average one excursion is organised every week to visit a forest and nature area to actively link theory with practice and to discuss opportunities and constraints with stakeholders/owners. This will facilitate understanding theory in the context of real world planning. Theoretical exercises will support the lectures. Students will present results and round-up discussions will summarise. Groups of approximately 3 students will prepare a forest and nature management plan for a real world case. Groups will formulate and present milestones of their project during the course. Seminars on selected topics will be arranged including the best national and international scholars in the field. Teaching activities take place in modules B and C. One or two excursions may take place outside modules B and C. Exact dates and times will be available at the beginning of the course. The overall requirements of the course correspond to full time studies. Therefore, it is recommended to use the full block for studies in this course without parallel study activities.
 
Learning Outcome
You will analyse and learn to implement ways to balance ecological, economic and social values in forest and nature management including topics such as multiple owner/stakeholder/public involvement; certification; carbon storage; biodiversity management; water management. You will apply methods and tools to develop and implement a real world forest and nature management plan (on private/public land).

Learning outcome objectives:

- Understand a natural science management planning approach emphasizing the study objects: forests and natural resources

- Explain the principles of sustainable utilization, protection and stewardship of forests and other semi-natural areas

- Explain key theories and methodologies for management planning

- Summarize potentials/restrictions and sustainability of utilization of biological systems

- Summarize social and natural science theories and demonstrate general knowledge of the planning tools utilized in the management of forests and nature

- Describe and classify a range of decision-support tools

- Apply a social and natural science management planning approach to forests and natural resources from the point of view of an enterprise, organisation.
 
Course Literature
A collection of textbook literature, articles, lecture notes and other written material will be required, including:

Main:
Davis, L.S., Johnson,K.N., Bettinger, P., Howard,T.E. 2008. Forest Management: To Sustain Ecological, Economic, and Social Values. Waveland Pr Inc, 816 pp.

Supplementary:
Pidd, M. 2003. Tools for Thinking. Modelling in Management Science. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., West Sussex.
Landscape and Planning, Division of Economics, Policy and Management Planning, Frederiksberg.
Pidd, M. 2003. Tools for Thinking. Modelling in Management Science. John Wiley & Sons Ltd., West Sussex.
 
Course Coordinator
Niels Strange, nst@life.ku.dk, Forest & Landscape Denmark/Unit of Forestry, Phone: 353-31753
Henrik Meilby, heme@life.ku.dk, Forest & Landscape Denmark/Unit of Forestry, Phone: 353-31740
 
Study Board
Study Committee NSN
 
Work Load
lectures80
theoretical exercises80
preparation73
Excursions55
project work90
supervision4
examination30

412