Courses and Timeline

Program Structure

The Forest & Stand Development micro-certificate is designed to provide participants with a rigorous, university-level education in the understanding of forest evolution to address the modern complexities of resource management. This 60-hour program is delivered over eight weeks of active learning and consists of four 2-week courses.

The Forest & Stand Development micro-certificate is offered in 2 sessions each year, one in the Winter/Spring (February/April) and one in the Fall (October – December). Students may register and complete all courses in one session or spread out the courses (in order of prerequisite requirements) over a 2-year time frame, depending on their schedules and commitments.

Each course in this program will require approximately 15 hours of learner’s time over two weeks. This program has 4 mandatory courses:

• Stand Dynamics and Successional Pathways
  • 2027 Spring:
    • February 1 – 12, 2027
• Quantitative Silviculture and Decision Support
  • 2027 Spring:
    • February 15 – 26, 2027
• Current and Evolving Silvicultural Systems
  • 2027 Spring:
    • March 1 – 12, 2027
• New Systems to Meet Emerging Objectives
  • 2027 Spring:
    • March 29 – April 9, 2027

Each course features easily digestible 15-minute multimedia learning modules, case studies, and practical exercises designed to fit into the schedules of working professionals. To bridge the gap between independent study and real-world application, the program includes weekly live, 60-to-90-minute synchronous sessions for peer networking, Q&A, and interactive panels with industry experts, registered practitioners, and Indigenous Knowledge Holders.

To support deep understanding and practical relevance, the program utilizes scaffolded assessment rather than high-stakes exams. Assessments are based on knowledge checks, reflective journals connecting theory of their own professional context and hands-on applied assignments. Each of the four courses builds towards an integrative capstone project. Deliverables completed during the first three courses serve as working components for the final site prescription strategy developed at the end of the program.

Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate of completion for each course and a final micro-certificate after successfully finishing all four courses.

Coffee Hours sessions for FSD 2027 Spring – TBD

Completion Requirements

To successfully complete the program, students are required to:

• Complete all assignments and learning activities for each course and the overall program.
• Achieve a minimum score of 50% or higher on each assignment within a course.

Failure to meet these requirements will result in non-qualification for course and program completion.

Timeline to Completion

Participants have the flexibility to set their own timeline to completion, within a maximum of two years.

IMPORTANT: Students who receive StrongerBC future skills grant funding must complete the program within a single offering.

Course Descriptions

Course 1: Stand Dynamics and Successional Pathways

This course covers the fundamental aspects of stand development and ecological scaling, transitioning from individual tree biology to community-level ecosystem changes. Participants will apply successional theory to predict how vertical and horizontal stand structures evolve following specific disturbance regimes such as fire, wind, and insect outbreaks. Key topics include density-dependent mortality, the self-thinning rule, and the critical role of biological legacies like snags and coarse woody debris in accelerating post-disturbance recovery. This foundation sets the stage for forecasting landscape-scale structural changes and long-term ecosystem trajectories.

Course 2: Quantitative Silviculture and Decision Support

This course focuses on building technical literacy with the quantitative tools and decision-support frameworks required for modern forest inventory and risk management. Participants will explore the mechanics and application of BC’s primary model architectures, learning when to utilize individual-tree models (such as TIPSY) versus stand-level models (such as VDYP). The curriculum emphasizes data auditing for input variables, such as site index and density, and the interpretation of yield tables and curves to optimize harvest scheduling. Additionally, learners will combine biometric data with climate science to stress-test forest projections against future climate scenarios, carbon sequestration potential, and wood quality risks.

Course 3: Current and Evolving Silvicultural Systems

In this course, participants will evaluate traditional harvesting methods alongside evolving systems, such as Variable Retention and Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF), to assess their impacts on structural complexity and biodiversity. This curriculum emphasizes professional accountability and reliance under BC’s legal frameworks, preparing learners to justify management choices through rigorous trade-off and cost-benefit analyses. Participants will gain the skills needed to articulate a defensible professional rationale that balances traditional timber production with emerging landscape objectives, ensuring all proposed treatments remain compliant with the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and Higher-Level Plans.

Course 4: New Systems to Meet Emerging Objectives

This course explores collaborative stewardship models and methodologies for operationalizing reconciliation through active partnership with First Nations. Participants will apply ethical frameworks to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into technical site prescriptions, designing management strategies that protect cultural keystone species, medicinal plants, and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Moving beyond basic consultation, the curriculum focuses on joint decision-making and co-management strategies. Learners will also design adaptive monitoring protocols that incorporate cultural health indicators alongside ecological metrics to ensure long-term, inclusive forest stewardship.