220-213 Trees and Forests

This subject provides students with the basics of tree and forest biology, including dendrology (the natural history of trees), tree identification and uses, the characteristics of wood, and an introduction to tree and forest management.

On completion of the subject, students should:

• be aware of the biogeography and major evolutionary directions of woody species worldwide;

• be competent in the identification, taxonomy and morphology of eucalypts, conifers and deciduous hardwoods;

• be aware of the distribution, characteristics and uses of Australian forest species;

• be able to describe the features, composition and properties of a variety of woods, and methods used to identify timbers;

• be able to describe the type and status of global forest resources, including their products & uses;

• be aware of issues in management of trees and forest resources, of the objectives of forest management, and of methods for generating and evaluating alternative plans for the management of forest resources.

A three-hour end-of-semester examination (50%), a term project (3000 words, 20%), two assignments (each up to 1500 words, each 15%).

• L Costermans, Native Trees and Shrubs of South-Eastern Australia. Rigby, 1981.
• P H Raven, R F Evert and S E Eichhorn, Biology of Plants. 6th edn, W H Freeman & Co/Worth Publishers, New York, 1999.
• K Wilson and D J B White, The Anatomy of Wood: its Diversity and Variability. Stobart & Son Ltd, 1986.