Registrations Opens April 3: Michigan State University Carbon Course

March 26, 2019

Michigan State University (MSU) Forestry and The Society of American Foresters (SAF) are pleased to announce an online short course – Physical Science of Forests, Climate Regulation, and Carbon Storage. Registration for the course opens on April 3 at ForestEd.org. 

Course content is designed with natural resource professionals, extension agents, and landowners in mind, but all interested individuals are invited to apply. Course topics are interdisciplinary and learning outcomes are intended to be impactful across a variety of fields. The course can be completed at the participant’s own pace over 4-6 weeks.

Offered through the MSU Forest Carbon and Climate Program (FCCP), the Physical Science of Forests, Climate Regulation, and Carbon Storage short course will provide forest professionals with advanced knowledge in the physical science of forest carbon. 

Following the course, participants will be able to:
• Identify the carbon cycle and its connection to natural and human-caused global warming
• Communicate trends in atmospheric GHG emissions and their impact on the carbon cycle
• Understand sources and sinks and the role of natural forests and the forest sector 
• Understand how forest composition, structure, and function influences carbon storage
• Apply knowledge of forest structure differences to forest carbon pools and fluxes by forest type
• Evaluate how management planning and decision-making can minimize carbon loss from natural and human-caused disturbances

The course is organized into five modules: (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. The online learning platform on ForestEd will include presentations, quizzes, links to external resources, and suggested further reading. This short course will be approved for Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) units in Category 1. 

Pricing:
$199 for SAF members 
$249 for Non-members 

This course is the product of a professional development partnership with Michigan State University to create additional opportunities connecting professionals with the latest science, tools, and applications. SAF looks forward to creating new partnerships with other academic institutions and continuing education providers to expand the reach of expertise and offering convenient continuing education opportunities on ForestEd.

Bringing this course to ForestEd yields instant results for participants seeking Continuing Forestry Education (CFE) units. Upon successful completion of the course, CFEs will be automatically added to participant CFE records. This short course will be approved for CFEs in Category 1.

SAF and MSU are delighted to continue the effort to bring awareness to forest carbon management opportunities and forests’ broader role in contributing to a climate-smart future. Please check back soon at ForestEd.org for more details.

Please contact Naomi Marcus with any questions.