Principles of Vegetation Measurement
and Assessment (REM 410)
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SYLLABUS

Instructor

Karen Launchbaugh

Rangeland Ecology & Management
College of Natural Resources
Phone: (208) 885-4394
Email: klaunchb@uidaho.edu

Course Elements

Course Structure

As you can see from the Lesson Schedule, this course is divided into 8 modules, each presenting a different topic related to vegetation measurement or assessment. We will spend 1 to 2 week on each topic. In each module you will find the following information:

  1. A list of learning objectives for the module to let you know where you should be headed.
  2. A web page presentation of basic information.
  3. Reading assignments.
  4. Homework assignments covering material from the readings.
  5. A quizzes or assignment covering material from the above sources.
  6. An assignment to summarize or interpret data relevant to the topic presented in each module.

Quizzes and Homework

Each module will include two basic outputs to assess student learning.

  • Most modules will include a series of questions or a quiz on basic elements of the topic.
  • All modules (except module 1) will include a set of data, usually in Microsoft Excel format, that must be summarized and/or analyzed.  A summary report will be requested based on this exploration of data.

All the quizzes and assignments in the course are open book, open notes, open internet, but not "open neighbor"! Even if you live in the same location as a classmate, you must do these alone.

Course Information

Course Objectives

A solid understanding of vegetation structure and composition is necessary to determine how activities on rangelands and forested lands will affect wildlife habitat, livestock forage, fire behavior, watershed characteristics, and many other wildland values.

 

This course will help you gain a foundation of knowledge necessary to:

  1. Recognize the rangeland and forest vegetation attributes that can be measured and quantified.

  2. Make wise decisions about which attributes to assess or monitor based on the limitations or values associated with specific attributes.

  3. Be familiar with major field protocols for measuring vegetation characteristics and be able to select which protocol is most relevant for meeting objectives.

  4. Summarize, discuss, and present assessment results.

Grading

Module Date Due Content Summary Data Summary Total Points
1 - Overview Sept 5 75 0 75
2 - Sampling Sept 13 50 50 100
3 - Density Sept 27 50 100 150
4 - Frequency Oct 4 50 100 150
5 - Cover Oct 18 50 100 150
6 - Biomass Oct 25 50 100 150
7 - Diversity Nov 8 50 100 150
8 - Monitoring Protocols Nov 22 50 100 150
9 - Summary Dec 6 75 0 75
Total       1150

**Late assignments will be accepted for up to 1 week late with a 50% point reduction. After 1 week beyond the due date, late assignments will not be accepted.


Evaluation of Assignments

Criteria % of Points
Completeness
  • Was all requested information included and adequately described?
 20%
Accuracy
  • Was information presented correct and accurate?
 35%
Decisiveness
  • Were results and recommendations presented in a clear decisive way?
 35%
Professionalism and Format
  • Free of typos?
  • Format okay?
  • Heading included?
  • Introduction included?
  • Summary included?
 10%

Required & Recommended Books

The following books will be referred to as required or background reading for this course.  The following texts are Interagency Technical References that are available free for download:

  • Sampling Vegetation Attributes BLM/ST_96/002+173 ( 18 MB)
    Coulloudon, B. et al. 1999. Sampling Vegetation Attributes, Technical Reference 1734-4, Bureau of Land Management. Denver, Colorado. BLM/RS/ST-96/002+1730
  • Measuring & Monitoring Plant Populations  BLM/RS/ST-98/005+1730 (5.1 MB)
    Elzinga, C.L., D.W. Salzer and J.W. Willoughby.  1998.  Measuring and Monitoring Plant Populations. Technical Reference 1730-1. Bureau of Land Management. Denver, Colorado. USDI, BLM 

The following books are also excellent references for vegetation measurement and are recommended for purchase:

  • Elzinga C.L., D.W. Salzer, J.W. Willoughby and J.P.Gibbs. 2001. Monitoring Plant and Animal Populations. Blackwell Science.
  • Bonham, C.D. 1989. Measurements for terrestrial vegetation. John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY.