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.

Course start date

Course content will be accessible starting April 19.

Course access 

Course registration ends on May 16 at 11:55 pm ET. Course access will remain open until July 11 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 participants can return to the previous section.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this short course, participants 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 100%.

Course Evaluation

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

CFEs

Upon successful completion of this course, you will earn 1.5 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 (11:59 pm ET).

Get Started or Return to Place in Course

Once 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.

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 prior to advancing to the section. You can close your browser and log out out 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.
Recommended Reading: Domke et al (2019)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Domke et al. 2019. Greenhouse gas emissions and removals from forest land, woodlands, and urban trees in the United States, 1990-2017. Resource Update FS-178. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 4 p.
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.
Recommended Reading: Gower (2003)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Gower, S. (2003). Patterns and Mechanisms of the Forest Carbon Cycle. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 28:1, 169-204.
You must register to access.
Recommended Reading: Pan et al (2011)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Pan at al. (2011). A Large and Persistent Carbon Sink in the World’s Forests. Science 19: 988-993.
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.
Recommended Reading: Janowiak et al (2017)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Janowiak et al. (2017). Forest and Grassland Carbon in Land Management. United States Forest Service. General Technical Report WO-95.
You must register to access.
Recommended Reading: Lovett et al (2006)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Lovett,G., Cole, J., and PaceIs,M. 2006. Net Ecosystem Production Equal to Ecosystem Carbon Accumulation? Ecosystems 9: 1–4. https://www.caryinstitute.org/sites/default/files/public/reprints/Lovett_et_al_2006_Ecosystems.pdf
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.
Recommended Reading: Pan et al (2013)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Pan et al. (2013). The Structure, Distribution, and Biomass of the World’s Forests. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 2013. 44:593–622.
You must register to access.
Recommended Reading: Malhi & Grace (2000)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Malhi, Y., & Grace, J. (2000). Tropical forests and atmospheric carbon dioxide. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 15(8), 332-337. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(00)01906-6.
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.
Recommended Reading: Ghimire et al (2015)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Ghimire, et al. (2015). Large carbon release legacy from bark beetle outbreaks across Western United States. Global change biology, 21(8), 3087-3101.
You must register to access.
Recommended Reading: Hurteau et al (2011)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. Hurteau, M., Stoddard, M., and Fulé, P. 2011. The carbon costs of mitigating high‐severity wildfire in southwestern ponderosa pine. Global Change Biology. 17:4 1516-1521.
You must register to access.
Recommended Reading: McKinley et al (2011)
Open to download resource.
Open to download resource. McKinley et al. (2011). A synthesis of current knowledge on forests and carbon storage in the United States. Ecological Applications. 21(6). pp. 1902–1924.
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
1.50 CAT1 credits  |  Certificate available
1.50 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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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, go to help.commpartners.com for self troubleshooting and/or live chat, or you can email cf@safnet.org

Sponsors

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