Teacher(s)

Ponette Quentin;

Language

French

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: introductory course in forestry, ecology, plant physiology, systematic botany.
Supplementary courses: forest valuation and economics, wood science, forest mensuration, forest management, forest tour

Main themes

1. Main concepts: 
- context, tags and constraints: time, cost, types of ownerships and owners, stand and ecosystem stability, wood quality;
- evenaged monospecific stands: installation, education / stem formation, growth, regeneration;
- complex stands: conversion and transformation, selection system, treatment of irregular and / or mixed-species stands;
- dendrology: identification and ecology of the main tree species used for silviculture in temperate Europe;
- compared applied silvicultures: optimizing silvicultural prescriptions according to the species (biological and ecological characteristics, wood properties), eco-climatic conditions and techno-economic context (e.g. public forests, private forests.).

Content

1.     Table of contents
1. Constitution of silvicultural prescriptions for even-aged stands
- framework and tags
- silvicultural cycle and phases
- definition of silvicultural objectives and parameterization of silvicultural prescriptions
- autecology of tree species
site tolerances and requirements
response to light and competition
architecture and growth dynamics
regeneration
- wood properties
intrinsic properties
wood properties, growth rate and age
- benefits and risks
damaging agents
impacts of tree species on the environment
2. Silvicultural interventions in evenaged stands
- site preparation
- management of young stands
- form and selective artificial pruning
- thinnings
- regeneration methods
3. Silviculture of complex stands
- description and assessment
structure
quality
- functioning
light control
growth and canopy position
regeneration
- management
the 'de Liocourt' model: advantages and limitations
silvicultural interventions
2.     Additional informations
This course is organized in the form of five interconnected modules.
- Module 1: lectures and seminars - 14 sessions of 2 hours on the establishment, management and transformation of forest stands of contrasting structures and species compositions;
- Module 2: excursions - three 1-day field trips devoted to the regeneration of stands, to the silvicultures of hardwoods and to the silvicultures of conifers, respectively;
- Module 3: tree marking - initiation to tree marking in irregular stands in a marteloscope;
- Module 4: project - installation of even-aged monospecific stands by planting or natural regeneration;
- Module 5: dendrology - five 4-hour sessions and one half-day trip in an arboretum to identify and learn the ecological characteristics of the main species of gymnosperms and angiosperms used for silvicultural purposes in temperate Europe .

Teaching methods

- lectures including practical examples;
- seminars by stakeholders from the socio-professional world;
- mini-project focused on the renewal of stands;
- training to tree marking in a marteloscope;
- practical field and laboratory work dedicated to the identification of tree species;
- reading and analysis of technical texts/manuals in groups of students;
- thematic field excursions on regeneration, as well as on hardwods and conifers silvicultures.

Evaluation methods

- written examination;
- oral examination on the identification, systematics and autecology of tree species;
- project report;
- critical analysis of technical texts.

Other information

This course can be given in English.

Online resources

Moodle
http://www.biologievegetale.be

Bibliography

- les supports de cours obligatoires (diapositives power point, transparents, documents de référence) sont mis à disposition de l'étudiant sur Moodle. En outre, le module 5 s'appuie sur un support web interactif consultable à l'adresse : http://www.biologievegetale.be
- pour en savoir plus, l'étudiant pourra consulter utilement les ouvrages de référence suivants :
Balleux, P., Van Lerberghe, P. 2006. Guide technique pour des travaux forestiers de qualité. Ministère de la Région Wallonne, DGRNE-DNF, Fiche technique n°17. Namur, Belgique, 373 p.
Bastien, Y., Gauberville, C. (coord.). 2011. Vocabulaire forestier. Ecologie, gestion et conservation des espaces boisés. IDF, Paris, France, 554 p. + annexes
Nyland, R.D. 2002. Silviculture : concepts and applications. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, USA, 682 p.
Schütz, J.-P. 1990. Sylviculture 1. Principes d'éducation des forêts. Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes, Lausanne, Suisse, 243 p.
Schütz, J.-P., 1997. Sylviculture 2. La gestion des forêts irrégulières et mélangées. Presses polytechniques et universitaires romandes, Lausanne, Suisse, 178 p.
Smith, D.M., Larson, B.C., Kelty, M.J., Ashton, P.M.S. 1996.The practice of silviculture: applied forest ecology. 9th ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA

Faculty or entity

AGRO