Courses

OEB 109 - Conservation Ecology and Pratice (208260)

The conservation of land and waters has become a major tool in determining the patterns of land use, conserving biodiversity, combating global change, and ensuring that the benefits of nature are secured for society. With a focus on the U.S., this course will examine the history and changes in conservation rationale and approach, the ecological theory and research that helps guide conservation planning and execution, and the policies, finances, and practice that enable land conservation to be a powerful agent of landscape change.  In place of weekend field trips we will host a series of regional and national experts in diverse aspects of conservation theory and practice—ecology, policy, finance, planning, and economics—from academia and the public and private sectors, to explore the approaches, challenges, successes and future of land conservation.

• Spring 2020-present
• David R. Foster
• Hours to be arranged

Freshman Seminar 21w - Research at the Harvard Forest: Global Change Ecology-Forests, Ecosystem Function, the Future (0060)

The seminar will consist of weekly discussions led jointly by the instructors and students concerning global change impacts on the New England landscape as explored through diverse studies by Harvard Forest researchers. The readings and discussions will acquaint students with our current knowledge of forest ecosystem structure, function and dynamics, drawing upon state-of-the-art tools, measurements, and studies across New England, including the 4000-acre Harvard Forest. Through discussions, virtual field excursions, and presentations students will become versed in approaches to global change ecology and conservation, the science behind predictions for future conditions, and approaches to utilize natural solutions to mitigate and adapt to these changes.  We will broadly address the critical role that forests play in a changing climate, with in-depth discussion on such topics as the history and dynamics of forests due to natural and human processes including the introduction of non-native organisms, the benefits of forests to society across rural to urban settings, and approaches to forest management and conservation.  Virtual visits to long-term ecological experiments will help to introduce approaches and infrastructure employed in studying long-term changes in climate and forest ecosystems.  Through comparative discussion with leading scientists of findings in the established 15-year-old synthesis volume on the Harvard Forest Long Term Ecological Research program with new research, the students will help to guide directions for a new synthetic book on New England forests and global change.Student responsibilities will include: completing the wide-ranging background reading; participating in and leading occasional weekly discussions; writing brief perspectives on topics discussed; and preparing a final paper that will be shared with the class and Harvard Forest community through a mini-symposium on the last day of class.

• Fall 2011-present
• David R. Foster & David Orwig
• Thursday 09:00 AM - 11:45 AM (Fall 2020)

OEB 299r - Forest Practice and Research (6128)

• Fall 2011-2012
• David R. Foster
• Hours as arranged

OEB 299r - Forest Practice and Research (6128)

• Spring 2011-2012
• David R. Foster
• Hours as arranged