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Ecosystem Restoration Principles and Practice (FOR 6934)
3 credit hours
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation

Biophysical and socioeconomic theories and principles that help restore functional ecosystems,  evaluation and monitoring protocols, virtual tours of successful restoration projects, ecological and sociological principles being utilized, interviews with professionals, managers, local citizens and scientists, and a project in which students interact with local restoration project personnel will complement online lectures and chat rooms.

Ecological Distribution and Management of Invasive Plants
3 credit hours
Florida A&M University

Background knowledge on the ecology of invasive plant species; detailed description of selected problematic invasive species; and management strategies involving mechanical, chemical and biological control.  Students will develop a portfolio of at least 15 plant invasive species in their respective states/region for a video conference discussion with the rest of the class.

Ecology and Restoration of Invaded Ecosystems (FOR 6934)
3 credit hours
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation

Invasion ecology, with emphasis on plant invasions in managed forests and natural ecosystems.   Management tools and techniques are discussed, along with the restoration of formerly invaded systems. Plant invasions from Florida and around the world are used as case studies.

Ecology and Restoration of the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem
3 credit hours
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation

History, current status, structure, function and ecological and economic importance of the longleaf pine ecosystem; regeneration ecology; natural and artificial regeneration; stand developmental dynamics; restoration techniques; microbial, faunal and abiotic considerations; ownership patterns; and socio-economic and political and policy aspects of restoration.

Watershed Restoration and Management
3 credit hours
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation

Rationale for, processes of, and results from hydrologic restoration at the watershed scale; physical, chemical biological, legal, regulatory and social aspects of this complex process; an adaptive approach to restoration and management predicated on institutional flexibility, hypothesis driven management and effective monitoring; key case studies to animate the concepts.

Natural Resource Policy/Administration (FOR 6934)
3 credit hours
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation

Factors in evolution of forest, range, wildlife and related natural resources administration and policies in the United States; policy components; policy formation implementation, administration and change processes; introduction to criteria for evaluating effectiveness of policies and administration.

Agroforestry in the Southeastern US (FOR 6934)
3 credit hours
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation

Based on journal articles and student-led discussion groups, this course covers agroforestry history and concepts, characteristics of the southeast of interest to agroforestry, biophysical interactions, economics, policy, marketing, agroforestry trees, silvopasture, alley cropping, windbreaks, riparian buffers, and forest farming.  Students will undertake a field exercise. 

Plant Materials for Conservation and Restoration
3 credit hours
UF Horticultural Science

Proper plant selection, propagation, production, and establishment of native species crucial for ecosystem recovery and efficient use of sparse restoration funds; species and genotype identification; propagation and production of native species; and biological mechanisms behind efficient establishment methods for native species.

Adaptive Restoration Planning
3 credit hours
UF Environmental Engineering Sciences

Readings and case studies of ecosystem restoration with an emphasis on systems-scale thinking and the identification and evaluation of adaptive management strategies, adaptive management concepts (systemic learning at the large scale) will be introduced as an organizational theme; a common thread throughout will be the discussion of political and economic constraints on restoration planning and design.

Ecological Restoration of Hardwood Forest Ecosystems
(for application procedure click here)
3 credit hours
Alabama A&M University (Note:This course may not be taken during the student's final term. Students taking this course must complete this form, preferably before enrolling:  http://graduateschool.ufl.edu/files/traveling-scholar-form.pdf.  Without this they may be denied the credits at UF.)

Restoration of native bottomland and upland hardwood forest communities as a means of sustaining biodiversity and establishing and maintaining a viable interaction between humans and nature; emphasis on 1) desired ecosystem condition and species composition, 2) the processes that lead to that, and 3) virtual field tours to ecosystems that are degraded and are in the process of being restored, and where restoration goals have been achieved; focus on restoring the vegetation which serves as habitat for other organisms, wildlife community, and their interactions; and ensuring forest health, adequate soil protection, and water quality during restoration activities. Students will be required to complete a class project in collaboration with a local natural resource professional to get hands-on experience.

Fire Use and Impacts in the Southeastern US (FOR 6934)
3 credit hours
UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation

This distance-education based lecture/ lab course is co-taught with the National Interagency Prescribed Fire Training Center in Tallahassee, Florida, and is taught in four separate sections each year during the spring semester. The course responds to requests from wildland firefighter personnel and instructors at the Center to collaborate in teaching practicing fire professionals who are already enrolled in the Center’s 21-day course.  The students spend a full week attending lectures, then two weeks traveling the southeastern region to participate in prescribed-burning related lab activities.   Cumulative assignments are evaluated by the SFRC instructors.