Forestry: Dendrology

Classification, silvical characteristics, and identification features of native and introduced trees and shrubs.

First two weeks online teaching; Third week in person 8:00-6:00 pm MTWRF: July 28-Aug 1, 2025 Last week online project work; Questions: Email instructor

What species is this tree? How tall can trees get and how long can they live? Can trees “communicate” with each other? Why are Vermont's forests so colorful and beautiful in the Fall? Trees cover about a third of the land on our planet and nearly four fifths of Vermont. They provide habitat for animals, protect the soil from erosion, filter the water before it flows into streams, sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and provide us with a renewable source of wood, which is what the walls, roof, and floor around you are most likely made of, as are your furniture, the paper in your notebook, and the cardboard box that delivered you your latest online order. Knowing how to identify the different tree species and their relationship with other plants, animals, and their environment, is critical for their study, management, and conservation. In this course, we learn exactly that, and we do it in a fun and engaging way, including by having weekly outdoor trips to different forest ecosystems within an hour’s drive from campus (transportation provided). And getting out in Vermont’s woods during the Fall may be just what you need during your busy semester. COURSE DESCRIPTION: introduce you to the study of trees, dendrology, where study their physiology, taxonomy, silvics, uses, and identification through readings, classroom activities, lectures, discussions, and in outdoor labs. During the first two weeks, we will be meeting online on MS Teams from 9:30 AM till 2:30 PM (sometimes we will be done earlier), Eastern Standard Time. There will be breaks During the third week of class, we will be meeting in-person at UVM for daily trips – the van will pick you up from in front of the Aiken Center (the south building exit that faces the oval). We’ll be outdoors learning to recognize the trees in their natural habitat. For a short time, we will be indoors to learn to identify several species by their wood. We will be out around campus and in locations mostly in Chittenden County (the county where Burlington is located). We will start every day at 8:30 AM, while it is still cool, and will be done by 5:00 PM, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. When we are around campus, you’ll have a chance to eat on-campus, but other times you’ll have to bring a sandwich and/or snacks. Always bring water and dress for the weather. For the fourth week, we will be remote and asynchronous.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 1) be able to identify ~100 important tree and shrub species from field samples, 2) understand the basic structure of trees and the processes by which they function, 3) be familiar with how trees are categorized and related to each other, 4) know the important ecological and utilization characteristics for trees generally, and for the locally important species specifically, 5) be familiar with several species, genera, or families that are important and/or interesting nationally or internationally. READINGS: 1) required: Thomas, Peter. 2014. Trees: Their Natural History (2nd Edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 401p. ISBN: 978-0521133586; 2) Required: Maine Forest Service. 2008. Forest Trees of Maine (14th (Centennial) Edition, no ISBN). (also available in full-text for free on the web: http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/publications/handbooks_guides/forest_trees/index.html), 3) Recommended: Jenkins, J. 2018. Woody Plants of the Northern Forest – A Photographic Guide. Comstock Publishing Associates, ISBN: 978-1501719684. 4) Recommended: Harlow, W.M. 1946, 1954. Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs. Dover. ISBN: 978-0486205113.

GRADE COMPONENTS: two lecture exams, frequent lab and lecture quizzes, and a final lab exam on tree identification and scientific names, lecture quizzes and activities, silvics paper and a species profile.