Forest Operations

In addition to special degree requirements listed previously, students selecting the BS Forestry degree must complete the following required courses or their equivalent, if transferred from another college or university. Transference and equivalency will be determined by the University, College of Forestry and Conservation, and Forestry program. Electives may be taken at any time, keeping in mind these requirements as well as the University's General Education requirements for graduation.

Bachelor of Science - Forestry; Forest Operations Option

College of Forestry & Conserv

Catalog Year: 2016-2017

Degree Specific Credits: 82

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.0

Major Required Courses

Rule: Must take all courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description FORS 130 - Intro Forestry Field Skills
Offered autumn. Prereq., Forestry major or consent of instructor. This course is focused on developing introductory forestry field skills through experiential learning at the College’s Lubrecht Experimental Forest. Classroom lecture and experiences that introduce students to orienteering, map reading, GPS, tree measurements, fire and fuels management, recreation, human dimensions, hydrology, wood products, and the careers possible with a Forestry degree.
 2 Credits
Show Description FORS 201 - Forest Biometrics
Offered autumn. Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. Introduction to probability and statistical methods for forestry and environmental sciences covering natural resource applications of common probability distributions, data analysis, hypothesis testing, and regression.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 202 - Forest Mensuration
Offered spring. Prereq., FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240; and M 121 and M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. The theory and practice of timber inventory and growth projection, including field measurements, sampling procedures, statistical methods, inventory compilation, and stand growth simulation under specified management prescriptions. Stand growth under specified management prescriptions.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 240 - Tree Biology
Offered autumn and spring. Suggested coreq., FORS 241N. The physical and biological requirements for the growth and development of trees. Discussions of: identification, classification, range, and economic importance of the major tree species of North America.
 2 Credits
Show Description FORS 241N - Dendrology
Offered autumn and spring. Suggested coreq., FORS 240. Methods and techniques for identifying the major families of North American trees, based on gross morphological and anatomical features. Building and use of identification keys.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 250 - Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt
Offered every term. Open to sophomores or juniors or with consent of instructor. This course is designed as a practical introduction to the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for storing, retrieving, analyzing and displaying spatial data. It will also cover the history of cartography and the conventions of the modern map-making process.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 200 - Nat.Resource Professional Wrtg
Offered fall and spring to College of Forestry and Conservation majors. Prereq., WRIT 101. Students synthesize scientific literature and, using appropriate evidence and APA style, write natural-resources-based documents appropriate for distribution to scientists, managers, and the public.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 210N - Soils, Water and Climate
Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. The factors affecting earth’s terrestrial ecosystems are rapidly changing, and understanding their impact on ecosystem services to humanity is becoming increasingly important and yet complex. In this course, students will explore how climate, water and soils interact to shape Earth’s biosphere. We will introduce students to a number of fundamental concepts in climate, hydrology, and soil science to gain a comprehensive view of the factors that shape and affect all terrestrial ecosystems. Through a series of lectures and field-based laboratories, students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of climate and hydrology that influence soil development, how they vary across small spatial scales, and how these physical, chemical, and biological processes interact to affect soil development. Ultimately, this class will introduce students to intimate relationship between climate, water, and soils, and how they interact to affect patterns of vegetation we see across the biosphere.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 22 Total Credits Required

Outside Major Courses Required

Rule: Must take all courses

Note: Can take THTR 120A Intro to acting in place of COMX 111A; Can take M 121 College Algebra AND M 122 College Trigonometry to satisfy M 151; Can take PHSX 205/206 College Physics I and Lab in place of M 162

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description BIOB 160N - Principles of Living Systems
Offered autumn and summer. Unifying principles of biological structure-function relationships at different levels of organization and complexity. Consideration of reproduction, genetics, development, evolution, ecosystems, as well as the inter-relationships of the human species to the rest of life. Students requiring a laboratory should also register for BIOB 161N. Credit not allowed for both BIOB 101N and 160N.
 3 Credits
Show Description BIOB 161N - Prncpls of Living Systems Lab
Offered autumn and summer. Prereq., or Coreq., BIOB 160N. Lab experiences illustrate biological principles underlying growth, reproduction, development, genetics and physiology, and are designed to give students practice in scientific methods of description, development of hypotheses, and testing.
 1 Credits
Show Description CHMY 121N - Intro to General Chemistry
Offered autumn and spring. First semester of an introduction to general, inorganic, organic and biological chemistry.
 3 Credits
Show Description COMX 111A - Intro to Public Speaking
Offered every term. Preparation, presentation, and criticism of speeches. Emphasis on the development of public speaking techniques through constructive criticism. Credit not allowed for both COMM 111A and COM 160A.
 3 Credits
Show Description ECNS 201S - Principles of Microeconomics
Offered every term.  The nature of a market economy, economic decisions of the household and firm, competition and monopoly, value and price determination, distribution of income and applied microeconomic topics.
 3 Credits
Show Description M 151 - Precalculus
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., ALEKS placement >= 4. A one semester preparation for calculus (as an alternative to M 121-122. Functions of one real variable are introduced in general and then applied to the usual elementary functions, namely polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions, and miscellaneous others. Inverse functions, polar coordinates and trigonometric identities are included. Credit not allowed for both M 151 and M 121 or 122.
 4 Credits
Show Description M 162 - Applied Calculus
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., ALEKS placement >= 5 or one of M 121, 122 or 151. Introductory course surveying the principal ideas of differential and integral calculus with emphasis on applications and computer software. Mathematical modeling in discrete and continuous settings. Intended primarily for students who do not plan to take higher calculus.
 4 Credits
Show Description WRIT 101 - College Writing I
UM: Offered every term. Prereq., WRIT 095 or proof of passing score on writing diagnostic examination, referral by WRIT 095 instructor-SAT writing score at or above 440, MUSWA at or above 3.5, SAT/ACT essay score at or above 7, or ACT Combined English/Writing score at or above 18. Expository prose and research paper; emphasis on structure, argument, development of ideas, clarity, style, and diction. Students expected to write without major faults in grammar or usage. Credit not allowed for both WRIT 101 and COM 101. Grading A-F, or NC (no credit). MC: Offered every term. Prereq., WRIT 095 or proof of appropriate SAT/ACT essay, English/Writing, writing section scores, appropriate MUSWA scores, or proof of passing scores on Writing Placement Exam). Expository prose and research paper; emphasis on structure, argument, development of ideas, clarity, style, and diction. Students expected to write without major faults in grammar or usage. Grading A-F, or NC (no credit).
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 22-24 Total Credits Required

Major Required Courses

Rule: Must take all courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description FORS 320 - Forest Environmental Economics
Offered autumn. Prereq., ECNS 201S; and M 121 and M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172.  Economic techniques to support decision making about the allocation of scarce resources, and management of forests for timber and other ecosystem services.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 330 - Forest Ecology
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., FORS 210 or ENSC 245N or NRSM 210N; and BIOO 105N or BIOB 170N or BIOE 172 or BIOB 160N or FORS 240; and FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240 or PSYX 222. Examination of physical and biological factors affecting forest structure, composition, and function, including biodiversity, disturbance, and nutrient cycling. Field labs throughout Northern Rockies including developing skills in field observation, data interpretation and problem solving.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 340 - Forest Product Manufacturing
Offered autumn. Survey of the manufacture of wood-based products generated from timber harvest. Laboratory field trips to several local manufacturing facilities.
 2 Credits
Show Description FORS 341 - Timber Harvesting & Roads
Offered spring. Prereq., NRSM 200 or WRIT 222. An overview of harvesting system capabilities and selection for multiple resource objectives. Fundamentals of forest road management. Best management practices as they apply to forest operations in Montana and the western United States.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 349 - Practice of Silviculture
Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 202 or FORS 302 and FORS 241N and either prereq or coreq FORS 330. Practice of Silviculture is designed primarily for Forestry majors (open to others with appropriate prerequisites), and will consider the conceptual foundations behind various silvicultural practices and techniques, as well as and their application in forest ecosystems to meet multiple resource objectives. The course will cover natural stand dynamics, stand assessment and site classification schemes, even- and uneven-aged silvicultural systems, thinning/stand density concepts, regeneration practices, stand diagnosis and prescription development, vegetative management strategies for diverse objectives, along with quantitative assessment and modeling of alternative prescriptions.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 434 - Advanced Forest Roads
Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 341. The purpose of this course is to help students understand the principles and skills of forest road design and the concepts of forest transportation planning. The course will cover the basic topics of road location, design, construction, and maintenance and provide students with techniques to identify the combination of roads, facilities and transport systems which minimize costs and negative environmental impacts.
 2 Credits
Show Description FORS 435 - Advaced Timber Harvesting
Offered autumn. Prereqs., FORS 341. This course covers the fundamentals of logging feasibility and cost analyses of various timber harvesting systems including the characteristics and performance of ground vehicles, cable and aerial systems; cost factors and cost analysis procedures; safety issues; and environmental impacts of harvesting systems .
 2 Credits
Show Description FORS 436 - Project Appraisal
Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 320 or consent of instructor. A suite of techniques, collectively referred to as project appraisal methods, facilitate evaluation of alternative projects. In this applied, computer laboratory-based course, students will become familiar with the use of discounted cash flow analysis and mathematical programing to evaluate proposed courses of action and recommend the economically efficient alternative. Skills will be developed applying these techniques to problems faced by natural resource managers and policy-makers.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 440 - Forest Stand Management
Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 202 or 302; FORS 341; FORS 347 or 349. The management and manipulation of forest stands to reach multiple objectives, with a focus on the planning of forest operations for a community partner.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 385 - Watershed Hydrology
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. An introduction to physical and biological controls over water movement and storage in the environment, and how those controls are affected by land management practices.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 422 - Nat Res Policy/Administration
Offered autumn and spring. Policy formation in the United States and a survey of the major resource policies interpreted in their historical and political contexts.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 30 Total Credits Required

Forest Management Elective

Rule: Must take at least one course

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description FORS 230 - Forest Fire Management
Offered spring. Fire as an ecological factor in Western forests is presented.  Fire weather, the measurement of fire weather, and the factors of fuel, weather and topography that influence fire behavior, and fire management decisions are included.  NFDRS, state and national fire policy evolutions are discussed.  Basic fire suppression tactics are also presented.
 2 Credits
Show Description FORS 232 - Forest Insects & Diseases
Offered spring. Identification, significance of and remedies for insect infestations and infectious and non-infectious diseases of forests and forest products.
 2 Credits
Show Description NRSM 265 - Elements of Ecological Restora
Offered autumn. Prereq., one course in the ecological or biological sciences: BIOO 105N, BIOB 160N, BIOB 170N, BIOB 172, BIOE 370, BIOE 428, BIOE 447 or BIOE 448; or FORS 330; or NRSM 271N or NRSM 462 or consent of instructor. Overview of the natural and social science elements of ecological restoration, including the ecological foundations of restoration, practices used to restore terrestrial and aquatic habitats, philosophical and ethical challenges involved, and current initiatives in Montana and the United States. Includes Saturday field trips.
 3 Credits
Show Description PTRM 217S - Wildland Recreation Management
Offered autumn and spring. The management of land as an environment for outdoor recreation. Understanding the relationship between the visitor, resource base and management policies. Recreation planning on multiple use forest lands, parks, wilderness areas and private lands.
 3 Credits
Show Description WILD 275 - Wildlife Conservation
Offered spring. Prereq., sophomore standing or consent of instr. Principles of animal ecology and framework of wildlife administration as a basis for the conservation of wild birds and animals, and biodiversity. Intended for non-wildlife biology majors.
 2 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 2-3 Total Credits Required

Resource Protection Electives

Rule: Must take one course from the list below

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description FORS 331 - Wildland Fuel Management
Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 230 or consent of instr. The fire ecology of some western vegetation types is discussed.  Elements of the principles of wildland fuel management are presented.  Prescribed fire use and mechanical manipulation are matched to historic ecosystem processes.  Smoke management considerations and health issues are also presented.  
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 360 - Rangeland Mgt (equiv 260)
Offered autumn. Prereq., junior standing or consent of instr. An introduction to rangelands and their management, grazing influences, class of animal, grazing capacity, control of livestock distribution, improvements, competition and interrelationships with wildlife. Laboratory exercises to gain on-site experience on topics and concepts presented in lectures.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 415 - Environmental Soil Science
Offered spring odd-numbered years Prereq., ENSC 245N or NRSM 210N or consent of instr. A detailed analysis of the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils and how they function, with a focus on soil processes and how they affect, and are affected by human activities. Specific topics include element cycling, water quality, the effects of environmental change soil biogeochemistry, plant-soil interactions, and the consequences of large-scale disturbances on soil processes.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 455 - Riparian Ecology & Management
Offered intermittently. Prereqs., successful completion or concurrent enrollment in NRSM 385 and completion of one of the following introductory ecology courses: BIOE 172, BIOE 370, BIOE 428, BIOE 447, BIOE 448, FORS 330, or NRSM 462. Importance of riparian/wetland areas and the complexities associated with their management for short and long term benefits.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 485 - Watershed Management
Offered intermittently. Prereq., NRSM 385 or consent of instr. Effects of land management practices on water and sediment yields from wildland watersheds. Introduction to statistical methods in hydrology. Introduction to water yield and sediment modeling techniques.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Ethics and Social Science Elective

Rule: Must take one course from the list below

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description NASX 303E - Ecol Persp in Nat Amer Trad
Offered Autumn and Spring.  An examination of Native American environmental ethics and tribal and historical and contemporary use of physical environmental resources.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 379 - Collab in Nat Res Decisions
Offered autumn. Political and social processes affecting natural resource decisions. Examination of cases of multi-party collaboration in forestry, range, and watershed management issues.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 424 - Community Forestry & Conservtn
Offered spring. Co-convened with NRSM 524. In-depth examination of the history, theory and management issues faced in community-driven forestry and conservation in the United States and abroad.  Cannot get credit for both NRSM 424 and NRSM 524.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 425 - Nat Res & Envir Economics
Offered alternate spring. Prereq., ENSC 201S or FORS 320; and M 115, M 121, M 122, M 151, M 162, M 171, or 172. Introduction to analytical approaches for economic analysis of management of non-renewable resources, fisheries, forests, threatened and endangered species, and the atmosphere.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 489E - Ethics Forestry & Conservation
Offered autumn. Prereq., junior or senior standing. Theoretical and practical ethical issues affecting the management of natural resources in national forests and on other public lands.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Writing Within Major

Rule: Must complete the following subcategories

15 Total Credits Required

Lower Division Writing

Rule: Need to take all listed

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description NRSM 200 - Nat.Resource Professional Wrtg
Offered fall and spring to College of Forestry and Conservation majors. Prereq., WRIT 101. Students synthesize scientific literature and, using appropriate evidence and APA style, write natural-resources-based documents appropriate for distribution to scientists, managers, and the public.
 3 Credits
Show Description WRIT 101 - College Writing I
UM: Offered every term. Prereq., WRIT 095 or proof of passing score on writing diagnostic examination, referral by WRIT 095 instructor-SAT writing score at or above 440, MUSWA at or above 3.5, SAT/ACT essay score at or above 7, or ACT Combined English/Writing score at or above 18. Expository prose and research paper; emphasis on structure, argument, development of ideas, clarity, style, and diction. Students expected to write without major faults in grammar or usage. Credit not allowed for both WRIT 101 and COM 101. Grading A-F, or NC (no credit). MC: Offered every term. Prereq., WRIT 095 or proof of appropriate SAT/ACT essay, English/Writing, writing section scores, appropriate MUSWA scores, or proof of passing scores on Writing Placement Exam). Expository prose and research paper; emphasis on structure, argument, development of ideas, clarity, style, and diction. Students expected to write without major faults in grammar or usage. Grading A-F, or NC (no credit).
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 6 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Writing

Rule: Must take at least three courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description FORS 330 - Forest Ecology
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., FORS 210 or ENSC 245N or NRSM 210N; and BIOO 105N or BIOB 170N or BIOE 172 or BIOB 160N or FORS 240; and FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240 or PSYX 222. Examination of physical and biological factors affecting forest structure, composition, and function, including biodiversity, disturbance, and nutrient cycling. Field labs throughout Northern Rockies including developing skills in field observation, data interpretation and problem solving.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 341 - Timber Harvesting & Roads
Offered spring. Prereq., NRSM 200 or WRIT 222. An overview of harvesting system capabilities and selection for multiple resource objectives. Fundamentals of forest road management. Best management practices as they apply to forest operations in Montana and the western United States.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 349 - Practice of Silviculture
Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 202 or FORS 302 and FORS 241N and either prereq or coreq FORS 330. Practice of Silviculture is designed primarily for Forestry majors (open to others with appropriate prerequisites), and will consider the conceptual foundations behind various silvicultural practices and techniques, as well as and their application in forest ecosystems to meet multiple resource objectives. The course will cover natural stand dynamics, stand assessment and site classification schemes, even- and uneven-aged silvicultural systems, thinning/stand density concepts, regeneration practices, stand diagnosis and prescription development, vegetative management strategies for diverse objectives, along with quantitative assessment and modeling of alternative prescriptions.
 3 Credits
Show Description FORS 440 - Forest Stand Management
Offered autumn. Prereq., FORS 202 or 302; FORS 341; FORS 347 or 349. The management and manipulation of forest stands to reach multiple objectives, with a focus on the planning of forest operations for a community partner.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 9 Total Credits Required

Math within Major

Rule: All are required

Note: Two courses can be substituted for M 151: M 121 College Algebra AND M 122 College Trig

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description M 151 - Precalculus
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., ALEKS placement >= 4. A one semester preparation for calculus (as an alternative to M 121-122. Functions of one real variable are introduced in general and then applied to the usual elementary functions, namely polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions, and miscellaneous others. Inverse functions, polar coordinates and trigonometric identities are included. Credit not allowed for both M 151 and M 121 or 122.
 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 4-6 Total Credits Required

Symbolic Systems

Rule: Must take the following course

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description FORS 201 - Forest Biometrics
Offered autumn. Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. Introduction to probability and statistical methods for forestry and environmental sciences covering natural resource applications of common probability distributions, data analysis, hypothesis testing, and regression.
 3 Credits
Show Description STAT 216 - Introduction to Statistics
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 115 (preferred), or one of M 121, 132, 151, 162 or 171, or ALEKS placement >= 4. Introduction to major ideas of statistical inference. Emphasis is on statistical reasoning and uses of statistics.
 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 4 Total Credits Required

Expressive Arts within Major

Rule: Must take one of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description COMX 111A - Intro to Public Speaking
Offered every term. Preparation, presentation, and criticism of speeches. Emphasis on the development of public speaking techniques through constructive criticism. Credit not allowed for both COMM 111A and COM 160A.
 3 Credits
Show Description THTR 120A - Introduction to Acting I
Offered every term. An introduction to the skills and techniques required of the actor to be effective in communication with others on stage and off stage.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Social Science within Major

Rule: Must take the following course

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description ECNS 201S - Principles of Microeconomics
Offered every term.  The nature of a market economy, economic decisions of the household and firm, competition and monopoly, value and price determination, distribution of income and applied microeconomic topics.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Ethical & Human Values Elective within Major

Rule: Can take the following elective course

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description NRSM 489E - Ethics Forestry & Conservation
Offered autumn. Prereq., junior or senior standing. Theoretical and practical ethical issues affecting the management of natural resources in national forests and on other public lands.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Natural Science within Major

Rule: Must take all courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description CHMY 121N - Intro to General Chemistry
Offered autumn and spring. First semester of an introduction to general, inorganic, organic and biological chemistry.
 3 Credits
Show Description NRSM 210N - Soils, Water and Climate
Prereq., M 115 or M 121 or M 122 or M 151 or M 162 or M 171 or M 172. The factors affecting earth’s terrestrial ecosystems are rapidly changing, and understanding their impact on ecosystem services to humanity is becoming increasingly important and yet complex. In this course, students will explore how climate, water and soils interact to shape Earth’s biosphere. We will introduce students to a number of fundamental concepts in climate, hydrology, and soil science to gain a comprehensive view of the factors that shape and affect all terrestrial ecosystems. Through a series of lectures and field-based laboratories, students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of climate and hydrology that influence soil development, how they vary across small spatial scales, and how these physical, chemical, and biological processes interact to affect soil development. Ultimately, this class will introduce students to intimate relationship between climate, water, and soils, and how they interact to affect patterns of vegetation we see across the biosphere.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 6 Total Credits Required