Forest health is a broadly defined emerging discipline in forestry that examines the agents and processes affecting tree and forest decline. Restoring and maintaining the health of forests has become a nationally and internationally recognized goal for resource management agencies, public conservation organizations and society in general throughout the World.

Forest health involves studying how forest ecosystems function, how disturbance agents affect forests, and how forests can be modified to restore them to healthy conditions.

• Examples of work in forest health include managing insect and disease agents within forests, removing "exotic" species, and monitoring current forest health conditions or monitoring forests managed to restore them to a more healthy condition than existed in the past.
  
• In southwestern forests, overcrowded forest conditions, recent insect outbreaks, and the threat of severe wildfires are major forest health concerns.
  
• This focus area includes an introductory forest health course (FOR 254), an advanced forest health course (FOR 454), either a forest entomology or forest pathology course (FOR 453 or FOR 452), and an elective course for a total of 12 credits.

The introductory course (Introduction to Forest Health; FOR 254) presents basic concepts and terminology needed by students for more advanced courses in forest health. Basic information related to the definition of forest health, forest ecology, and the major disturbance agents acting in forests such as fire, insects, and diseases is presented.

The more advanced course (Integrated Forest Health; FOR 454) includes more detailed information on evaluating forest health, abiotic factors related to forest health, and how forest ecosystems are monitored to determine their health.

Because forest insects and diseases are two of the major disturbance agents affecting forest ecosystems students are required to take either Forest Entomology (FOR 453) or Forest Pathology (FOR 452). These courses present detailed information on the roles insects or diseases play in forest ecosystems.

For help in coordinating your courses in the Forest Health Focus Area, please contact:

Robert Mathiasen
Telephone: 928-523-0882
Email: Robert.Mathiasen@nau.edu

Mike Wagner
Telephone: 928-523-6646
Email: Mike.Wagner@nau.edu

For course requirement information, please refer to Forest Health Focus Area.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 October 2009 )