Physical Science of Forests, Climate Regulation, and Carbon Storage

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Course information

This short course, curated by Michigan State University's Forest Carbon and Climate Program, will develop foundational knowledge in the relationship between climate regulation, forests, and forest carbon. In five modules, the course covers the 1) Carbon Cycle and Storage, 2) Humans, the Global Carbon Cycle, and Terrestrial Sinks, 3) Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Storage, 4) Forest Ecosystem Carbon Pools and Fluxes, and 5) Disturbances and their Carbon Impact. Each module will outline its respective learning objectives. Course content will include recorded presentations, links to online resources, and recommended reading.

Is this course for you?

This course is intended for the novice or aspiring forest carbon and climate novice who is seeking to get a better understanding of climate regulation and forest carbon within the context of forests and forestry. This foundational course covers the fundamentals to help better equip you in the conversation of climate and forest carbon with your colleagues, customers, and other diverse audiences. This course may also serve as a refresher to your understanding. Reinforcing your knowledge can strengthen your understanding, especially as new resources, tools, and policies may emerge as they relate to climate regulation and forest carbon.

Open registration

Registration is open from June 22, 2021 at 8:00 am ET to July 20, 2021 at 11:55 pm ET.

Pricing

Member: $175

Non-member: $220

Join SAF TODAY to take advantage of the growing member benefits, including course savings.

Course start date

Course content will be accessible starting July 20, 2021 at 8:30 am ET.

Course access 

Course access will remain open until September 30, 2021 at 11:55 pm ET.

Course pace

This course is self-paced with an expected completion time frame of up to 6 weeks. This course must be completed in sequence and each presentation must be viewed in entirety to progress to the next section. Once a section is complete, you can return to the previous section. ForestEd will send you reminders along the way to help you stay on track. 

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this short course, you will:

  1. Be familiar with and able to identify the carbon cycle and its connection to natural and human-caused global warming
  2. Know about trends in atmospheric GHG emissions and their impact on the carbon cycle
  3. Understand sources and sinks, and the role of natural forests and the forestry sector
  4. Understand that forest composition, structure, and function influence carbon storage
  5. Remember the pools of carbon with forested ecosystems
  6. Apply knowledge of forest structure differences to forest carbon pools and fluxes by forest type
  7. Be able to communicate global distribution of carbon storage in forests
  8. Remember that management planning and decision-making can minimize the carbon losses from natural and human-caused disturbances

Rubric

Successful completion of the course is measured by mastering each module's quiz to assess how well you recall and apply your new knowledge. You have unlimited attempts for each quiz to master the content. Passing score for each quiz is 80%.

Course Evaluation

Participant feedback is appreciated to help the course curators and subject matter experts continually improve the course for future participants.

CFEs

Upon successful completion of this course, you will earn 3.5 CFEs in Category 1. CFEs will automatically be added to your CFE record located on www.eforester.org.

Certificate

Upon successful completion of this course and course evaluation, participants may download and print a certificate verifying completion of the course and earning CFEs. CFEs will be uploaded to participant CFE records by the end of the day of course completion (11:59 pm ET).

Get Started or Return to Place in Course

Once you are registered for the course, access this course within your MY DASHBOARD. You can pause at any point during the course and you can return right where you last left off. Simply select the presentation you were last viewing and you will be prompted to select if you wish to start where you left off. For additional tips for success, watch the Course Tutorial Video preceding the Welcome Presentation. Note: this course uses pop-up windows so be sure to enable pop-up windows on your browser.

Course Resources

Additional course resources are available within the Resources tab and within the Contents tab course sections.

Need Help?

For ForestEd questions, visit FAQs, email cf@safnet.org, or watch the Course Tutorial within the Contents tab. For questions about this course's content email forestc@msu.edu. For technical assistance, go to help.commpartners.com for self troubleshooting and/or live chat, or you can email cf@safnet.org.

Refund

This is a non-refundable item. Please view FAQs for additional information.

Key:

Complete
Failed
Available
Locked
Course Tutorial - Tips for Success
Open to view video.
Open to view video. View this short video to learn tips for success.
You must register to access.
Welcome!
Welcome Presentation
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. To view this presentation and subsequent presentations, A pop-up window will appear so you can view the presentation. Meanwhile the course page will temporarily appear blank while you view the course presentation and when you are being transitioned back to the course to progress to the next presentation. When you are done viewing the presentation in entirety, close the presentation window, but REMEMBER to keep the main course window open to maintain continued access to your course. You must view all presentations in entirety to advance to the next section. You can close your browser and log out of ForestEd as needed and return to your course where you left at your convenience.
You must register to access.
Course Glossary
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. The course glossary outlines terms and abbreviations used throughout the course. You can return to this resource as needed.
You must register to access.
Week 1: Carbon Cycle and Forest Carbon Storage
Carbon Cycle and Forest Carbon Storage Presentation
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. Learning Objectives: - Understand and be able to identify key scientific elements of the greenhouse effect and global warming - Analyze the concept of Global Warming Potential (GWP) in relation to various GHGs and CO2 - Know about trends in atmospheric GHG emissions and their impact on the carbon cycle Complete the presentation and pass the quiz prior to progressing to the next presentation.
You must register to access.
Presentation 1 Handout
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
You must register to access.
Required Reading: A Comparison of Carbon Stock Estimates and Projections for the Northeastern United States
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Richard G. MacLean, Mark J. Ducey, Coeli M. Hoover, A Comparison of Carbon Stock Estimates and Projections for the Northeastern United States, Forest Science, Volume 60, Issue 2, April 2014, Pages 206–213, https://doi.org/10.5849/forsci.12-072
You must register to access.
Week 2: Humans, the Global Carbon Cycle, and Terrestrial Sinks
Humans, the Global Carbon Cycle, and Terrestrial Sinks Presentation
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. Learning Objectives: - Remember terminology and Units of Measure - Be able to convert between measures of carbon and carbon dioxide - Understand an overview of Global Carbon Cycle and Human Perturbation - Know how forests and the and sector fit into the global carbon cycle - Apply knowledge to analyze terrestrial Sinks for CO2 and Climate Mitigation Complete the presentation and pass the quiz prior to progressing to the next presentation.
You must register to access.
Presentation 2 Handout
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
You must register to access.
Required Reading: Carbon in Northern Forests
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Chris Swanston, Andrew Burton, Carbon in Northern Forests, Forest Science, Volume 57, Issue 6, December 2011, Pages 449–450, https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/57.6.449
You must register to access.
Week 3: Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Pools
Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Pools Presentation
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. Learning Objectives: - Remember the pools of carbon within forested ecosystems - Evaluate above and belowground carbon storage pools - Understand that Forest Composition, Structure, and Function influences carbon storage - Remember that forest ecosystem structure influence how pools of Carbon Within Forest Ecosystems Complete the presentation and pass the quiz prior to progressing to the next presentation.
You must register to access.
Presentation 3 Handout
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
You must register to access.
Required Reading: Near Surface Soil Carbon
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Donald S. Ross, Scott W. Bailey, Gregory B. Lawrence, James B. Shanley, Guinevere Fredriksen, Austin E. Jamison, Patricia A. Brousseau, Near-Surface Soil Carbon, Carbon/Nitrogen Ratio, and Tree Species Are Tightly Linked across Northeastern United States Watersheds, Forest Science, Volume 57, Issue 6, December 2011, Pages 460–469, https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/57.6.460
You must register to access.
Week 4: Global Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Fluxes
Global Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Fluxes Presentation
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. Learning Objectives: - Understand carbon fluxes and the concepts of source versus sink - Apply knowledge of forest structure differences to forest carbon pools and fluxes by forest type - Be able to communicate global distribution of carbon storage in forests Complete the presentation and pass the quiz prior to progressing to the next presentation.
You must register to access.
Presentation 4 Handout
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
You must register to access.
Required Reading: The Carbon Consequences of Thinning Techniques
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Hoover, C. & Stout, Susan. (2007). The carbon consequences of thinning techniques: Stand structure makes a difference. Journal of Forestry -Washington-. 105.
You must register to access.
Week 5: Disturbances and Carbon Impact Presentation
Disturbances and Carbon Impact Presentation
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package. Learning Objectives: - Understand how forest disturbances are linked to a changing climate - Be able to communicate how forest carbon is influenced by forest disturbances - Remember that management planning and decision-making can minimize the carbon losses from natural and human-caused disturbances Complete the presentation and pass the quiz prior to accessing the course evaluation, CFEs, and certificate verifying course completion.
You must register to access.
Presentation 5 Handout
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource.
You must register to access.
Required Reading: Forest Development and Carbon Dynamics after Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. E. Matthew Hansen, Forest Development and Carbon Dynamics after Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks, Forest Science, Volume 60, Issue 3, June 2014, Pages 476–488, https://doi.org/10.5849/forsci.13-039
You must register to access.
Course Evaluation & CFEs
Course Evaluation
16 Questions
16 Questions Please complete this evaluation to help support continuous improvement of this course.
You must register to access.
CFEs & Certificate
3.50 CAT1 credits  |  Certificate available
3.50 CAT1 credits  |  Certificate available CFEs will automatically be added to your CFE record by the end of the day. Feel free to print or simply download the certificate for your personal records.
You must register to access.

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Working Group Webinars


An Overview of NAIP Derived Point Clouds for Forest Monitoring
An Overview of NAIP Derived Point Clouds for Forest Monitoring - Available through 9/15/21



Enhancing the Precision of Broad-scale Forest Growing Stock and Stock Change Estimates with Small Area Estimation
Enhancing the Precision of Broad-scale Forest Growing Stock and Stock Change Estimates with Small Area Estimation - Available through 8/28/22


OFRI Sponsored - Free for SAF Members

Forest Herbicides Best Practices

7.5 Category 1 CFEs

Virtual workshop series sponsored by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute

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Customer Support

If you need assistance with registration, accessing a ForestEd product you purchased, or other customer service-related issues, please email cf@safnet.org during normal office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm ET.

Technical Support

For technical support, email cf@safnet.org

Sponsors

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For sponsorship opportunities, contact Naomi Marcus at marcusn@safnet.org