I. ASCRC General Education Form (revised 1/27/11)
Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change existing
gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses
(X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be
submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
III. Language
VII: Social Sciences
(submit
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * VIII: Ethics & Human Values
separate forms
IV: Expressive Arts
IX: American & European
if requesting
V: Literary & Artistic Studies
X: Indigenous & Global
more than one
VI: Historical & Cultural Studies
XI: Natural Sciences
X
general
w/ lab X w/out lab 
education
group
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of
designation)
majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language
requirement
Dept/Program CFC, Department of Forest
Course #
FORS 241N
Management/Forestry Program
Course Title
Dendrology
None
Prerequisite
Credits
3
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
Instructor
Edwin Burke
Phone / Email 5157/edwin.burke@umontana.edu
Program Chair Elizabeth M. Dodson
Dean
Michael Patterson
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew X
Change
Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Renewal
Description of change
N/A
IV. Description and purpose of new general education course: General Education courses
must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General
Education Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/archives/minutes/gened/GE_preamble.aspx
Learn to identify over 100 North American native and introduced tree species. Learn to use
and construct botanical identification keys for use with over 15 different families of arborescent
Angiosperms and Gymnosperms. Learn the significant ecological significance, their insect and
disease pests and relationships, human and natural history of each of the 115 species covered.
Learn the functional morphology and anatomy necessary to the understanding of the functions
of the tree.
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
1. Courses explore a discipline in the natural
Students learn the principles of plant
sciences and demonstrate how the scientific
identification, but more importantly, learn to
method is used within the discipline to draw
discipline themselves to learn a new
scientific conclusions.
language of botanical and taxonomic
terminology, elementary plant physiology,
basic mycology and entomology and plant
community relationships. Students are
required to observe, identify, collect and
classify, as well as preserve plant materials
for study and future use, just as do
professionals in this discipline.
2. Courses address the concept of analytic
Again, the students spend a considerable
uncertainty and the rigorous process required
amount of lab and outside -class time
to take an idea to a hypothesis and then to a
studying and working on observing features
validated scientific theory.
and using published and self-developed keys
to associate these features with several
species. Then, while being mindful of the
inherent variability (uncertainty) of
morphological features, the students use
hypothesis testing to eliminate species that
fail to meet the criteria of the hypothesis
chain. Finally, they make final identification
and evaluation of live and preserved
specimens. These skills are of paramount
importance for practicing natural resource
managers, but also serve other students by
developing the critical evaluation skills
necessary in nearly every profession.
Students in Dendrology class learn how to identify
3. Lab courses engage students in inquirybased learning activities where they formulate important morphological features of various parts of
trees at different times of the year. They use these
a hypothesis, design an experiment to test the
features to systematically eliminate and include
hypothesis, and collect, interpret, and present
appropriate species from their identification track
the data to support their conclusions.
through dichotomous decisions. Students generally
spend 2 or more hours of each weeks lecture and lab
in active observation of preserved leaves and fruit,
and also study live specimens of a large percentage
(75% + ) of the 115 species presented in class. The
Montana State Arboretum is thoroughly utilized for
laboratory, including practical examinations. Each
student is expected to be able to provide identification
to the species level, including Family, Genus, species
and common name. They also learn how to provide
ID using verbal descriptions as well as small portions
of fruits and cones, bark, twigs and armature. They
are quizzed using a variety of specimens, often
including verbal descriptions of the geographic
location of the item’s collection and the site it was
occupying. They are often quizzed using the urban
forest as a site, and are asked to make the
identification and explain their reasoning as though
they were responding to a forensic-based or citizengenerated request.
4. Courses should not be mainly descriptive or
have as their primary objective the
development of a professional vocabulary.
The primary objectives of this course have
been clearly stated in previous sections of
this form, and while learning a new
vocabulary is one outcome of the course, the
vocabulary is secondary to the students
actively learning to actively use that
vocabulary in productive learning. The
knowledge of the parts of plants and the
descriptors of those parts and the use of that
knowledge in understanding the
identification and ecology of trees are the
primary objectives of the course.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
1. understand the general principles associated
1. Students will learn to identify, primarily
with the discipline(s) studied;
by sight, 115 species of native and
introduced species of trees growing in North
America. The students will learn how to
recognize family, species and common
name when written in technical journals in
Latin.
2. understand the methodology and activities
scientists use to gather, validate and interpret
data related to natural processes;
3. detect patterns, draw conclusions, develop
conjectures and hypotheses, and test them by
appropriate means and experiments;
4. understand how scientific laws and theories
are verified by quantitative measurement,
scientific observation, and logical/critical
reasoning; and
2. To do this effectively, they will
understand what parts of the plant to look at
during different times of the growing
season, and if necessary, use appropriate
identification keys to properly classify the
specimen (s).
3. Students will learn how variability
affects the hoped-for narrow objectivity of
tree identification and how hypothesis
testing includes observation of patterns and
features, and the identification and
measurement of many types of anatomical
and morphological features. Hypothesis
testing is conducted many times during any
identification process and the students learn
how to use this scientific method to their
advantage.
4. Observation, measurement and
evaluation of the anatomical and
morphological features of trees as whole
organisms as well as various vegetative and
reproductive structures are the means to
verification of initial impressions of
classification of a particular species, and
students learn this through practice.
5. Understand the means by which analytic
uncertainty is quantified and expressed in the
natural sciences.
5. Students learn the actual effects of the
uncertainty of mensurational data pertaining
to identification features of the subject trees.
The learn first-hand the impact of variation
within and between species in the size,
form, location and arrangement of
anatomical and morphological features, and
how to interpret visual evaluations relative
to speciation.
VII. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry
at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level. If the course has more than one
pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200
level), provide rationale for exception(s).
No per-requisites will be requirement.
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
COURSE OUTLINE
FOR 241 --DENDROLOGY
Spring (also Fall) Semester
3 Credits
Instructor: Dr. Edwin J. Burke—Journalism 105 -- 243-5157
Schedule: Lecture: Tuesday, Thursday, 11:10 - 12:00 pm., Journalism 112
Laboratory: Thursday, 2:10 - 5:00 pm., Journalism 112
Required Texts: Course Pak by Burke;
Optional Texts: Textbook of Dendrology -- McGraw-Hill
Trees of North America -- Golden Press
Fruit and Twig Key -- Dover Press
Grading: Lecture: 1 hr. exam covering Gymnosperms (Pinophyta) 100
1 hr. exam covering Angiosperms (Magnoliophyta) 100
Gymnosperm Laboratory:
5 weekly quizzes, starting week # 8 @ 40 pts. ea. 200
Laboratory Examination over weeks 9-14 200
Angiosperm Laboratory:
6 weekly quizzes, starting week #2 @ 40 pts. ea. 240
Laboratory Examination over weeks 1-7 200
Total Gross Points for Class 1040
Drop lowest quiz score -40
Total Points for Class 1000
One make-up quiz for those who were absent for any quiz during the semester will be given near
the last week of the semester, during the Angiosperm section. The quiz will cover angiosperms, but
can be used to count for a quiz missed during the Gymnosperm section. Only one missed quiz can
be made up, and only at the one time offered at the end of the semester. In addition, the lowest quiz
score for the semester will be dropped. If all quizzes were taken and show scores, the lowest of
these will be dropped. If you missed, and did not make up a quiz, that missing grade (0 points) will
be dropped. Weekly grades will be posted in the classroom and outside Burke’s office, Journalism
105.
A=90.01% +; B=80.01% +; C=70.01% +; D=60.01% +; F 60.01% --
FOR 241
Dendrology- Autumn Semester
Topical Outline and Course Schedule
Week # New Trees
TOPIC
=======================================================================
ANGIOSPERMAE
1
7
Introduction; Dendrology Terminology Slide Tape; Salicaceae (7), (lecture and
lab during lab period this week)
2
11
Betulaceae (4), Juglandaceae (4), Ulmaceae (3); Quiz A-1
3
10
Fagaceae (8), Oleaceae (2); Quiz A-2
4
10
Magnoliaceae (2), Lauraceae (2), Fabaceae (1), Caesalpiniaceae (1),
Hippocastanaceae (1), Rosaceae (3); Quiz A-3
5
10
Aceraceae (7), Hamamelidaceae (1), Platanaceae (1), Tiliaceae (1); Quiz A-4
6
7
Cornaceae (2), Anacardiaceae (1), Aquifoliaceae (1), Ericaceae (1),
Bignoniaceae (1), Elaeagnaceae (1); Quiz A-5
7
0
Quiz A-6 in Tuesday lecture; The Angiosperm Lecture Exam is to be held
during Thursday’s lecture period. The Angiosperm Laboratory Exam is to be
held during this week’s laboratory periods.
8
9
GYMNOSPERMAE
Ginkgoaceae (1), Taxaceae (1), Pinaceae --Hapoxylon of Pinus (7); No Quiz
this wk.
9
10
Pinaceae --Dipoxylon of Pinus) (9); Quiz G-1
10
7
Pinaceae -- Larix (3), Pseudotsuga (1), Tsuga (3); Quiz G-2
11
10
Pinaceae -- Picea (6), Abies (4); Quiz G-3 (Veteran’s Day Holiday on
Friday. Friday Lab students need to come on Tuesday or we will find
another day/time for Friday’s Lab Section.
12
10
Cupressaceae -- Sequoia (1), Sequoiadendron (1), Taxodium (1), Cupressus
(1), Chamaecyparis (1), Juniperus (2), Calocedrus (1), Thuja (2); Quiz G-4
13
0
No Labs this week--Thanksgiving Break Wednesday through Sunday
14
0
Quiz G-5 and Make-up Quiz during Tuesday’s lecture period. Preparation for
Gymnosperm Lecture Exam on Thursday and in Lab. Gymnosperm
Laboratory Exam during this week’s laboratory periods.
15
0
Collections due in lab this week. Assistance sessions for preparation for Final
Exam. Gymnosperm Laboratory Exam during this week’s laboratory
periods.
16
0
Finals Week. Gymnosperm Lecture Exam on specified day. Final
examinations graded and ready to pick up by Friday.
Total # of trees = 111
FOR 241
Dendrology
Key to Species Groups and Geographic Location Abbreviations
OCYP
=
oak, chestnut, yellow-poplar
OH
=
oak, hickory
BBM`
=
birch, beech, maple
SM
=
sycamore, silver maple
NH
=
northern hardwoods (mixture of white oak, northern red oak, sugar and red maple,
yellow
and paper birch, white ash, quaking and bigtooth
aspen, yellow-poplar and basswood).
SH
=
southern hardwoods (mixture of southern red oaks, sweetgum, black and water tupelo,
flowering dogwood, magnolia, basswood,
pecan hickories)
SCP
=
sycamore, cottonwood, poplar (riparian or riverbanks of Midwest is a better descriptor
as
this abbreviation can be confused with
southern coastal plain)
D-FL
=
Douglas-fir, western larch
NWC =
northern white cedar
EWP
fir
=
eastern white pine
ESAF =
Engelmann spruce, subalpine
PJ
=
pinyon, juniper
western species)
SH
=
spruce, hemlock (eastern or
SYP
=
southern yellow pine
WYP
=
western yellow pine
LPES
=
lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce
SPF
=
spruce, pine, true fir
SCP
=
southern coastal plain
PC
=
Pacific coast of U.S. and Canada, including Alaskan coast
NE
SW
=
=
New England, or northeast U.S. and eastern Canada
Southwest U.S.
NRM
=
northern Rocky Mountains; w. Washington, n.Idaho, Montana & Canada
SRM
=
southern Rocky Mountains (Wyoming, s. Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona
w. Texas and northern Mexico)
BH
=
Black Hills of South Dakota and northern Nebraska
FB
=
Fog Belt of northern California, north to s. coast of Oregon
IE
=
Inland Empire (w. Montana, n. Idaho, w. Washington, s.e. British Columbia)
Please note: Approved general education changes will take effect next fall.
General education instructors will be expected to provide sample assessment items and
corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.