Students will learn to identify forest species by both common and scientific names, from leaf, twig, or bark samples. Students learn seasonal field identification skills and see the habitats, associates, and place in succession of the predominant forest tree, shrub and herbaceous species in the Adirondack region. A number of exotic species will also be introduced. Emphasis is on developing individual skills through small crew projects and handling typical surveying equipment in typical field situations. Lecture topics include the theory of measurements and errors, mathematics for plane surveying, introduction to field problems, introduction to map use and preparation, U.S. Public Land Survey System, and concepts of deed descriptions and record-keeping procedures.
Students tour the record room at the county courthouse.
Field projects include traversing, using forester's and engineer's tools and methods, mapping using field and office methods, and proficiency projects in handling typical surveying instruments. A study of the tools and techniques used to measure primary forest products and inventory forest resources. Timber and wildlife habitat measurements are stressed, as is the professional presentation of forest inventory data in the form of technical reports. Various forest sampling and statistical methods are used and compared. FTC 200, FTC 202, FTC 208.