Most depictions of “cities of the future” are a fusion of buildings and forests. Is this happening? If not, why not? This course bridges the disciplines of forestry, architecture, and landscape and urban design to examine the evolving role of trees in human habitations. The course will survey designs incorporating trees on buildings, from the hanging gardens of Babylon to the Bosque Verticale of contemporary Milan, the evolution of urban forestry and urban “green infrastructure”, and history and current policy initiatives and debates. The course will involve site visits and guest lectures in the City of Toronto, readings of both popular and scholarly literature, as well as student design projects and presentations. Restricted to first-year students. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Forest conservation issues in Canada; fundamentals of forest biology and ecology; forest biodiversity; development of forest management philosophy in Canadian forested regions; concepts of sustainability. Sustainable forest management strategies; forest policy and economics in a Canadian context; forest certification; protected areas.

The world's major tropical and subtropical forest biomes; prospects for conservation and sustainable management; consequences of different forest development strategies; tropical deforestation and selective logging; agroforestry; biodiversity and non-timber forest products; the fuelwood crisis; large carnivore conservation; ecological, economic and social perspectives.

Traditional and non-traditional forest products; wood structure; properties and material attributes; functional characteristics and logistics of wood product industry. Contribution of innovative product development to conservation; adding value; residue use; biorefinery; under-utilized species; wood protection. Forest product certification; eco-labelling; life cycle analysis.

A practical introduction to the field methods used by forest conservationists in Ontario. The overnight field camp portion is approximately seven days taking place during August. Field exercises will provide students with practical training in tree identification, forest ecosystem classification, forest inventory, stand management prescriptions, tree marking, and silvicultural systems. Each student is required to pay an ancillary fee of approximately $875 to cover the costs of transportation, food, and accommodation. Interested students should contact the Forestry Program Administrator to register. Later registrations will be considered if class size permits.

A practical introduction to the field methods used by forest conservationists in Ontario. The overnight field camp portion is approximately seven days taking place during August. Field exercises will provide students with practical training in tree identification, forest ecosystem classification, forest inventory, stand management prescriptions, tree marking, and silvicultural systems. Each student is required to pay an ancillary fee of approximately $875 to cover the costs of transportation, food, and accommodation. Interested students should contact the Forestry Program Administrator to register. Later registrations will be considered if class size permits.

This course will explore the diverse societal values, interests, and perspectives that informs forest management in rural and urban settings. It will examine the social and political environment in which forest management takes place, and the different approaches to balancing social, economic, and environmental objectives in forest management. Topics include Indigenous stewardship and traditional ecological knowledge, climate change, ecosystem services, urban forestry, community forestry, recreation, human health and well-being, biodiversity conservation, equity and environmental justice, and adaptive management.

Global forest resources and forest economics; relationships between societies and forests, consumption, trade and valuation of timber and non-timber products; ecosystem services, climate change and forestry, tropical deforestation and softwood lumber dispute.

An overview of the biology of trees and the ecological principles that govern the structure and function of forests. Topics in tree biology will include tree identification, wood anatomy, tree architecture, resource acquisition and allocation, tree growth and mortality. Topics in forest ecology will include resource competition, stand development, species succession, and the cycling of nutrients and energy. This course will include a substantial field and lab component.

This course will provide practical experience in tropical forest conservation, introducing tools for rapid assessment of biodiversity, analysis of human use and natural disturbance impacts on forest structure and diversity, and the development of effective forest conservation strategies. See Forestry website for details.

Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Insect identification and ecology, biodiversity and conservation, invasive species, insect-tree interaction, biological control, pesticide use, and integrated pest management.

Socio-economic, technical, political and environmental issues associated with the utilization of forest biomass (e.g., harvesting residues, thinnings, salvage, short rotation woody crops) for a source of renewable energy.

Examination of current and emerging critical issues affecting sustainable management and conservation of global forests. Seminars led by students, faculty and visiting speakers.

A research project requiring the prior consent of a member of the Department to supervise the project. Individual in-depth student research projects on significant forest conservation and forest biomaterial issues, based on field and/or laboratory research, or literature survey. Not eligible for CR/NCR option. Please contact Program Administrator for further enrollment details.

Requires the prior consent of a member of the Department to supervise the readings and assignments. Provides opportunities for students to carry out an individual in-depth study of current forest conservation and forest biomaterials issues. Please contact the Program Administrator for further enrollment details. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

The management and care of individual trees in the places we live, work, and play, from rural communities to urban centres, is critical to protecting human life and property, and to maximizing the many social, environmental, and economic benefits that trees provide. Students will develop a professional level of knowledge and skills in arboriculture expected of tree care professionals like arborists and urban foresters, including: tree biology, tree identification and selection, soil management, installation and establishment, pruning, diagnosis and treatment, trees and construction, tree risk management, safe work practices, and urban forestry. Emphasis will be placed on application, real-world scenarios, and problem-based learning. Professionalism, ethics, career pathways and professional development will also be covered.

Technological advances and approaches in deriving biofuels and chemical feedstocks from forest and other biomass. Fundamental chemical attributes of biomass, as they affect the fuel value and potential for deriving liquid, solid and gaseous fuels and valuable chemicals for other applications will be discussed.

Temperate and tropical wildlife ecology and conservation; roles of wildlife in forest conservation; impacts of forestry practices and landscape modification on wildlife; ecology and viability of wildlife populations; human uses and abuses of game and non-game species.

Trees in and around the city are key to providing multiple engineered and ecological services that only recently have been brought into the responsible fiscal planning of every municipality around the globe. Reviews the role of trees and woodlands in providing environmental, social and economic benefits to urban and peri-urban residents and to the broader environment. Examines approaches to the characterization of urban forest ecosystems, and their planning and management.

This course explores the roles of trees and forests in agricultural land-use systems and examines the biological and management aspects of agroforestry. The sustainability of agroforestry systems is examined within the context of socio-economic constraints, geopolitical forces, and Indigenous perspectives.

A ten-day field course examining urban forestry issues in the GTA, southern and eastern Ontario and Quebec. Topics include: urban forest inventories, nursery production, arboricultural techniques, urban woodland management, urban forest health, urban forest administration, urban dendrology, and urban forestry research. Additional fees for field course (e.g. accommodation, food, other within course travel expenses) will apply. See Forestry website for details. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Understanding forest fire activity is important for predicting fire's impact on forests and the wildland-urban interface, as well as understanding the impacts of climate change. Basic principles of forest fuel moisture exchange, fire occurrence and fire behaviour are explored. Emphasis is placed on application of these models to real fire management problems.

This course provides an overview of the chemistry of wood and wood materials involving cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, extractives. It also covers some reaction chemistry associated with these chemical components.

This course focuses on the manufacturing processes, properties and uses of wood and agricultural fibre based products including wood based composites, ligno-cellulosic/thermoplastic composites and structural or engineered composites, and the practical use of these products in design.

Wood has been an important building material throughout the ages and in today's world has taken on the added importance of being a renewable and sustainable material that assists with greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. This course will provide students with an understanding of wood’s unique physical properties, the variability of these properties within different species and how these properties can inform its proper use in various applications. The Canadian forestry industry sets the context for this course acknowledging that forests transcend political borders and reach around the world.