Auburn University
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Course Syllabus
2015
Course Number:
FORY 4970 Forest Soils
Credit Hours:
3
Two lectures: Tue. & Thur. 11:00 – 11:50 PM
One 3 hour laboratory per week: 1:00 – 3:50 PM
Location:
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Building, Room 1221
Prerequisites:
CHEM 1010, School approval for non-majors
Instructor:
Dr. James P. Shepard
4431 Forestry and Wildlife Building
(334) 844-1111
jshepard@auburn.edu
Office Hours:
By appointment. Appointments can be made by phone, e-mail, or by
seeing the instructor immediately before or after class.
Course Description: Overview of forest soil composition, formation, biota, classification,
chemistry, ecology, and sustainable management
Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have learned:
1. foundational knowledge about forest soils and their management;
2. how to collect field data, analyze it, and integrate it into soils theory;
3. how foundational knowledge is applied in forest management;
4. about their personality type and the personality types of their
classmates and how this affects learning and collaboration
5. how the care of soil is the foundation of sustainable forestry; and
6. to develop an aptitude and interest in life-long learning.
Text:
Binkley and Fisher. 2013. Ecology and Management of Forest Soils, 4th
Edition. J. Wiley and Sons.
Laboratory:
Laboratory sessions will alternate between outdoor field trips and data
analysis inside. Students should dress appropriately for the weather,
including precipitation. Outdoor labs will only be cancelled if the
university is closed for weather or if there are audible thunderstorms in the
study area.
Teaching Approach: This course will use active learning. Before most class meetings, students
will be assigned to read papers, or watch recorded lectures or videos on
Canvas. Students should plan to spend up to 30 minutes preparing for
each class session.
Learning Activities: Teams of ~4-5 students will be formed at the beginning of the course and
team composition will not change all semester. Team-based learning
activities will include the following.
1. Collaboration on daily quizzes;
2. Working collaboratively during class on specific assignments using
white board exercises, gallery walks, and team presentations.
3. Students will keep a journal to reflect on their learning with weekly
entries as a minimum.
4. One-minute papers will completed weekly to assess learning and to
identify the concepts most difficult to understand.
5. A three-hour laboratory session will be held each week. Some
laboratory sessions will be held outdoors to collect data and make
observations. Students should dress appropriately for the weather,
including precipitation. Outdoor labs will only be cancelled if the
university is closed for weather or if there are audible thunderstorms in
the study area.
Assessment: Daily quizzes will be given and students will take a 5 question multiple
choice quiz individually, and then they will retake the same quiz with their
team using an instantaneous feedback assessment technique (IF*AT) that
allows for multiple attempts to answer each question. Quiz scores will be
calculated as 50% individual score and 50% team-based score.
Exams the two hour exams and the final exam will be 25 – 50 point
question multiple choice exams using the IF*AT approach and will be
taken individually.
Laboratory reports will be prepared and submitted by teams. Lab
reports will be due 1 week following the last lab session on each topic.
Some lab reports will simply be graded by the instructor. Others will us a
two-phase assessment process. The first assessment will be by peer
review. Your report will be evaluated by another team, who will mark
your report with suggestions for improvement. You will have 1 week to
consider their comments and revise your report. The instructor will grade
your report on a 100 point scale for technical accuracy, adherence to the
lab instructions, format, grammar, and spelling.
Journal Students will keep a journal as a Word file and will submit it
weekly through Canvas. The journal will be assessed for weekly
compliance with required weekly entry content and near the end of the
semester the journals will be assessed and graded with 50% on compliance
with weekly assigned journaling and 50% as an overall assessment of your
progress in reflecting on your learning.
Grading Scale:
The final grade for the course will be calculated according to the
following:
40% two hourly exams (20% each)
10% for daily quizzes
5% for weekly journal
25% laboratory reports
20% final non-comprehensive exam
Final course grade will be based on the following scale:
A: 89.5 - 100
B: 79.5 - 89.4
C: 69.5 - 79.4
D: 59.5 - 69.4
F: < 59.5
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all classes and laboratory sessions and will
be held responsible for any content covered in the event of an absence.
Quizzes or exams missed because of unexcused absences will count as
zeros. Please inform the instructor of planned absences beforehand and
illness as soon as reasonable afterwards.
Excused absences:
Students are granted excused absences from class for the following
reasons: illness of the student or serious illness of a member of the
student's immediate family, the death of a member of the student's
immediate family, trips for student organizations sponsored by an
academic unit, trips for university classes, trips for participation in
intercollegiate athletic events, subpoena for a court appearance, and
religious holidays. Students who wish to have an excused absence from
class for any other reason must contact the instructor in advance of the
absence to request permission. The instructor will weigh the merits of the
request, and render a decision. When feasible, the student must notify the
instructor prior to the occurrence of any excused absences, but in no case
shall such notification occur more than one week after the absence.
Appropriate documentation for all excused absences is required. Please
consult the Student Policy eHandbook for more information on excused
absences.
Make-up Policy:
Arrangement to make up a missed major examination (e.g.: hour exams,
mid-term exams) due to properly authorized excused absences must be
initiated by the student within one week of the end of the period of the
excused absence(s). Except in unusual circumstances, such as the
continued absence of the student or the advent of university holidays, a
make-up exam will take place within two weeks of the date that the
student initiates arrangements for it. Except in extraordinary
circumstances, no make-up exams will be arranged during the last three
days before the final exam period begins.
Academic Honesty: All portions of the Auburn University student academic honesty code
(Title XII) found in the Student Policy eHandbook will apply to university
courses. All academic honesty violations or alleged violations of the SGA
Code of Laws will be reported to the Office of the Provost, which will
then refer the case to the Academic Honesty Committee.
Disability
Accommodations:
Students who need accommodations are asked to electronically submit
their approved accommodations through AU Access and to arrange a
meeting during office hours the first week of classes, or as soon as
possible if accommodations are needed immediately. If you have a
conflict with my office hours, an alternate time can be arranged. To set up
this meeting, please contact me by e-mail. If you have not established
accommodations through the Office of Accessibility, but need
accommodations, make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility,
1228 Haley Center, 844-2096 (V/TT).
Other Policies:
Use of computers, tablets, and smart phones is encouraged during most
class active learning activities. Use of these devices will be strictly
prohibited when taking quizzes and exams, however. Students will
silence phone ringers and will confine the use of their devises to learning
class material.
Exams
1st Hour Exam
2nd Hour Exam
Final Exam
9/22/15
10/27/15
12/08/15
Noon – 2:30PM
Tentative Lecture Outline
Forest soils versus agricultural soils
Soil formation and composition
Soil water
Chemistry of soil surfaces and solutions
Classification and mapping
Biogeochemistry
Site productivity
Soil management: harvesting, site preparation, drainage
Fertilization
Tentative Laboratories
Sustainability field trip to Old Rotation, erosion at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center
Field trip: Piedmont geology and soils
Field trip: Coastal Plains geology and soils
Soil profile description: soil horizons, texture, structure, color, and pH
Particle size analysis
Sustainability field trip: Providence Canyon State Park, GA
Relationships between forest productivity and soil / site: Piedmont
Relationships between forest productivity and soil / site: Piedmont
Relationships between forest productivity and soil / site: bottomland