FS/FW 553
Forest Wildlife Habitat Management
Oregon State University
Course instructor
Dr. John P. Hayes
109E Richardson Hall
Oregon State University
(541) 737-6589
New links
For links to USFS publications on dead wood, link to "other related links of interest" page (connect below).
The material on dead wood, the fragmentation lecture, monitoring lecture, and a presentation I gave last year on fire and wildlife are now available in the "other related links of interest" page (connect below).
Welcome to the website for FS/FW 553.
FS/FW 553 will examine the scientific underpinnings of the ecology and management of wildlife in forest ecosystems. The class will be designed around two central themes: 1) Foundations and scientific understanding, and 2) Management applications.
Foundations and scientific understanding. We will take a careful look at the pertinent primary scientific literature concerning the ecological foundations underlying contemporary our understanding of the habitat ecology of wildlife in forests and responses of wildlife to anthropogenic and natural disturbance. This look at the literature will include examination of a mix of classic papers that are "must reads" and more recent papers that highlight contemporary thought, concepts, and approaches.
Management applications. We will consider forest management approaches and their influences on wildlife in the context of the current scientific literature. We will examine these practices in with questions such as "To what extent do different management approaches reflect our current understanding of habitat ecology?" and "Are current approaches misusing or misinterpreting modern scientific thought?" in mind.
The course will be structured around a weekly lecture designed to overview key issues, regular readings and discussions of the primary literature, independent library research, and a group project. The class is structured to be highly interactive, and students desiring a passive learning environment are not likely to be satisfied or successful in this class.
The course is not intended to be survey course covering all aspects of wildlife forestry interactions. Students interested in such a survey course are encouraged to consider taking or auditing FS/FW453. Rather, this course is intended for advanced students interested in the ecological foundations underlying scientific understanding of interactions between forests, wildlife, and forest management through examination of contemporary scientific literature, coupled with an intensive exploration of how scientific understanding in this field can be applied to modern forest management issues.
The course will focus on topics related to responses of terrestrial vertebrates. However, many of the concepts and principles of importance to understanding relationships of wildlife in forests can be more broadly applied to biodiversity in general. As a consequence, I urge students with interests in other taxonomic groups to consider enrolling in the class.
More detailed information on the structure of the course may be obtained by connecting to the following links: