foundation forestry/woodland managment degree

[sussexlad]

hi guys im looking to maybe do the above mentioned course part time in the next few years at plumpton college. Just wondering if anyone has any experience of this / similair courses, ie the sort of schedule i can expect as i still need to work a fair amount and if the degree will really be worth anything in the real world?

any feedback or info at all would be muchly appreciated.

[john k]

I've just started on it, and it's looking good so far. I met a couple of lads who finished last year who were really pleased with it too.

 

If you get in touch with the college they'll send you a course programme that has details of all the modules in it.

[sussexlad]

I've just started on it, and it's looking good so far. I met a couple of lads who finished last year who were really pleased with it too.

 

If you get in touch with the college they'll send you a course programme that has details of all the modules in it.

 

ok thanks very much for the reply:001_smile:

[john k]

As I've got my folder in front of me, here's a bit more detail about what the course covers:

 

Year 1

Research methods

Dendrology

Soil science

Botany

Ecology

Tree establishment

Mensuration and vegetation surveys

Forestry & arboricultural practice

 

Practical includes CS30/31/38 for everyone (and 39 for arbs but not foresters who cover felling in more depth). NPTC asessments are not included in the course fee. If you already have the tickets you can skip the first practical module. Everyone also does a day of familiarisation on each of: chipper, MEWP, hand winches, sawmill.

 

Year 2

Tree biology

Silviculture

Tree pests & diseases

Woodland ecology and conservation

Woodland management

Sustainable forestry

Tree law and health & safety management

 

plus two of the following optional modules:

Urban forestry

Current issues in forestry/arboriculture

Timber utilisation

Statistics

Taxonomy and arboretum design

Arboricultural planning

Career development

National vegetation classification

Geographic information systems

 

There's a work placement in year 2 as well.

 

We've got a very wide range of starting levels in the group, from never having really looked at a tree to experienced climbers with several years work under their belt wanting to get more depth of knowledge.

 

It's early days, but I'm really enjoying it so far.

[sussexlad]

thats great, thanks for the replies. by the looks of it its exactly the type of thing im looking to do. are you doing the full or part time course? i would be very interested to hear any updates on how you are finding it. many thanks:thumbup1:

[john k]

I'm doing it part time. Full time is 3 days a week (and that can go down to 2 if you've got all your tickets), so you can work at the same time but don't underestimate how much time you'll need for work on assignments.

 

Part time is normally 1 or 2 days a week over four years, but it's flexible and you can take anything between 3 and 6 years to complete the course.

 

We've got our first proper tree ID test tomorrow - the first piece of work that actually counts. In four weeks we've learned almost 50 broadleaf trees (proper names and key ID features, plus a bit of soil preference and timber utilisation).

 

We start on conifers tomorrow as soon as the test is over.

[sussexlad]

thanks for the update, i think i would still go for the part time option. sounds like good stuff, if your anything like me the conifer id will be harder than the broadleaves!

[john k]

OK, time for a bit of an update. The college year is divided into two semesters, and we're now about half way through semester 2.

 

In semester 1 the modules that I took were Dendrology 1 and Research methods. I automatically got Forestry & arboricultural practice 1 as I already had CS30 and 31.

 

Dendrology was good, but does take some determined learning. We had to learn to identify trees from samples of twig with or without leaves, and know the scientific names. Lots of them are in the college grounds but we also went on trips to Abbotts Wood (FC), Bedgebury Pinetum (FC) and Wakehurst Place (Kew). These are the trees:

 

Common Alder Alnus glutinosa

Grey Alder Alnus incana

Italian Alder Alnus cordata

Silver Birch Betula pendula

Downy Birch Betula pubescens

Hazel Corylus avellana

Hornbeam Carpinus betulus

Ash Fraxinus excelsior

Field Maple Acer campestre

Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus

Norway Maple Acer platinoides

Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum

Beech Fagus sylvatica

English Oak Quercus robur

Sessile Oak Quercus petraea

Turkey Oak Quercus cerris

Holly Oak Quercus ilex

Red Oak Quercus rubra

Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa

Dogwood Cornus sanguinea

Elder Sambucus nigra

Wayfaring Tree Viburnum lantana

Spindle Euonymus europaeus

Small-leaved Lime Tilia cordata

Whitebeam Sorbus aria

Swedish Whitebeam Sorbus intermedia

Rowan Sorbus aucuparia

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

Midland Thorn Crataegus laevigata

Wild cherry Prunus avium

Blackthorn Prunus spinosa

Cherry Laurel Prunus laurocerasus

Holly Ilex aquifolium

Common Walnut Juglans regia

Black Walnut Juglans nigra

English Elm Ulmus minor var vulgaris

Wych Elm Ulmus glabra

Goat Willow Salix caprea

Crack Willow Salix fragilis

White Poplar Populus alba

Italian Poplar Populus nigra var italica

Aspen Populus tremula

Grey Poplar Populus canescens

Crab Apple Malus sylvestris

Wild Service Tree Sorbus torminalis

Box Buxus sempervirens

Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum

Lawson Cypress Chamaecyparis lawsoniana

Leyland Cypress X Cuprocyparis leylandii

Monterey Cypress Cupressus macrocarpa

Coastal Redwood Sequoia sempervirens

Giant Redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum

Dawn Redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides

Swamp Cyprus Taxodium distichum

Western Red Cedar Thuja plicata

Japanese Red Cedar Cryptomeria japonica

Noble Fir Abies procera

Grand Fir Abies grandis

Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii

Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica

Japanese Larch Larix kaempferi

European Larch Larix decidua

Norway Spruce Picea abies

Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis

Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris

Monterey Pine Pinus radiata

Corsican Pine Pinus nigra subsp laricio

Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla

Yew Taxus baccata

 

Research methods isn't particularly about trees but is a basic grounding in how to write and reference a scientific paper or essay. It also covers things like different types of research and very basic stats. A bit dull but worthy, and useful for all the other assignments. We ended up doing a mock proposal for a tree-related research project of our choice.

 

The full timers also did Soil science and Botany. I have those to look forward to in September.

Edited March 28, 2012 by john k
Missed out the conifers!

[sussexlad]

sounds good, that is alot of trees to remember and identify. are you enjoying it?

i havent progressed any further towards it yet but am still keen to do it at some point.

has anything been said about the sorts of jobs that could be got with the qual, ie forestry manager on a estate or something like that?

[john k]

It's been a while since I updated this thread so I thought I would add a bit more. I am with a new group of first years as I'm doing the units that I didn't do last year. We've just finished the first semester of this year, so I'm nearly half way through.

 

In the second semester last year we covered a lot of more exotic and ornamental trees and shrubs. It wasn't immediately obvious to the foresters why all of these are really relevant, but it's all good background knowledge. We had to be able to identify and name these in the classroom from samples of twigs and leaves:

 

Shrubs

Strawberry tree Arbutus unedo

Variegated laurel Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’

Darwin’s barberry Berberis darwinii

Narrow-leaved barberry Berberis Stenophylla

Californian lilac Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens

Mexican orange blossom Choisya ternata

Cotoneaster tree Cotoneaster salicifolius ‘Rothchildianus’

Elaeagus Maculata Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’

Eleagnus Lime Light Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Lime Light’

Japanese loquat Eriobotyra japonica

Escallonia Escallonia macrantha

Gum tree Eucalyptus gunnii

Eucryphia Eucryphia x intermedia

Japanese spindle Euonymus japonicus ‘Ovatus Aureus’

Winter creeper Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Queen’

Caster oil plant Fatsia japonica

Silk tassel bush Garrya elliptica

Kapuka Griselinia Littoralis

Calico bush Kalmia latifolia

Bay laurel Laurus nobilis

Gold edged privet Ligustrum ovalifolim ‘Aureum’

Common privet Ligustrum vulgare

Chinese privet Ligustrum lucidum

Privet honeysuckle Lonicera pileata

Wilson’s honeysuckle Lonicera nitida ‘Baggescens Gold’

Evergreen/southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora

Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium

Mahonia charity Mahonia x media Charity'

Olearia Olearia haastii

Holly leaved osmanthus Osmanthus heterophyllus

Photinia Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’

Black bamboo Phyllostachys nigra

Black matipo Pittosporum tenuifolium

Laurel Prunus laurocerasus ‘Zabeliana’

Laurel Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’

Portuguese laurel Prunus lusitanica

Butcher’s broom Ruscus aculeatus

Skimmia Skimmia japonica

Leather-leaf viburnum Viburnum rhytidiphyllum

Laurustinus viburnum Viburnum tinus

David’s viburnum Viburnum davidii

 

Trees

Chinese paperbark Acer griseum

Variegated box elder Acer negundo ‘Variegatum’

Silver maple Acer saccharinum

Leopold sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Leopoldii’

Red horsechestnut Aesculus x carnea

June berry Amelanchier lamarckii

Himalayan birch Betula utilus var. jacquemontii

River birch Betula nigra

Indian bean tree Catalpa bignonioides

Katsura Cercidiphyllum japonicum

Hinoki cypress Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’

Turkish hazel Corylus colurna

Japanese cedar Cryptomeria japonica

Dove tree Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriniana

Fern-leaved beech Fagus sylvatica ‘Asplenifolia’

Single- leaved ash Fraxinus excelsior ‘Diversifolia’

Claret ash Fraxinus angustifolia Subsp. oxycantha ‘Raywood’

Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba

Golden honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’

Climbing hydrangea Hydrangea petiolaris

Sweet gum/liquidambar Liquidambar styraciflua

Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera

Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica

Boston ivy Parthenocissus tricuspidata

Brewer’s spruce Picea breweriana

Oriental spruce Picea orientalis

Serbian spruce Picea omorika

Montezumae pine Pinus montezumae

Himalayan pine Pinus wallichiana

Oriental plane Platanus orientalis

Tibetan cherry Prunus serrula

Callery pear Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’

Willow-leaved oak Quercus phellos

Hungarian oak Quercus Frainetto ‘Hungarian Crown’

Pin oak Quercus palustris

Stagshorn sumach Rhus typhina

Black locust Robina pseudocacia

Corkscrew willow Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’

Japanese stewartia Stewartia pseudocamellia

Chinese wisteria Wisteria sinensis

 

For Tree Establishment we looked at aspects of urban and rural tree planting and did a small amount of practical work planting some hedge plants and transplanting some small Ash trees. For our assignment we were given a couple of fields on the college farm and had to do a site survey then produce planting schemes with supporting maps.