Dendrology: Identifying Forest Trees and Shrubs

Identification nomenclature, classification, and distribution of common and/or important forest trees and shrub species primarily from North America. This course is approximately 50% classroom and 50% outdoor laboratory on the St. Paul Campus and stresses field-based identification of species, proper nomenclature, community associations, species range, economic importance, natural history, insect/disease problems, and wildlife relationships. Students learn about these trees and shrubs through the use of classroom lecture, dichotomous keys, and outdoor identification of leaves, fruit, twigs, bark, buds, and form.

Class Time: 45% classroom lecture, 5% discussion, 45% outdoor laboratory, 5% small group activities. Students are expected to attend all lectures and weekly outdoor laboratory sessions.

Work Load: 10-15 pages reading per week, 4 exams, 2 homework assignments, 1 special project, 14 quizzes. A written laboratory quiz can be expected every week.

Grade: 20% midterms (2), 15% final exam, 10% homework assignments (2), 30% weekly laboratory quizzes, 15% laboratory final exam, 10% plant collection. Students have an opportunity to earn 1,000 points. Final grade is based on the cumulative score.

Exam Format: Midterm and Final exams are multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and short answer essay.  Laboratory quizzes (outdoors) and the Laboratory Final exam (outdoors and/or indoors) ask for the proper Genus, Species, Family, and Common Name for individual quiz plants.

Course ID
FNRM 1101
Credits
3
Semester Offered
Fall
Course Frequency
every year
Instructor