Degree Course: SCIENZE FORESTALI E AMBIENTALI (LM-73) Syllabus for A.Y. 2018/2019  

Training objective: at the end of the course the student can consciously participate in the development of a forest plan.
Expected students learning results:
Describe each steps of a sustainable forest planning process.
Illustrate other spatial planning tools with which forest planning process must be integrated.
Be able to distinguish among different forest planning approaches and derived methods and systems, with particular reference to forest planning of a single forest property ("Piano di assestamento forestale").

The course aim is the advancement of knowledge of hydrological processes for enhancing the comprehension and the management of hydrological practical problems. Specifically, the course will focus on small and engaged basins.
It is possible to identify two main aims:
Refresh of notions about hydrological processes and their modelling, with particular emphasis of the design discharge concept and its practical usefulness.
Learning the design hydrograph concept and the event-based modelling approach either theoretically and in practice.
Moreover, the course will provide some soft-skills about GIS tools particularly useful for hydrological applications.
Expected outcomes following the Dublin descriptors:
Knowledge and understanding.
hydrological phenomena, specifically, rainfall and runoff formation. Design hydrograph notion and its practical implications.
Applying knowledge and understanding
Rainfall-runoff modelling. A freeware software, nowadays adopted by the professional community, will be introduced to the students and they will be asked to develop a practical project. The software application will guarantee the full comprehension of the hydrological applications.
Making judgements - Communication skills - Learning skills
students will be asked to develop a project that, other to provide a practical example for estimating the design hydrograph, will allow them to investigate on the role of the physical parameters. The project will be assigned without a rigid scheme, student will be invited to identify himself a scientific question on which he can investigate with the software application. During the project he will identify the answer to the scientific question and motivate his conclusions. Setting small groups and interacting with the lecturer will stimulate Making judgements - Communication skills - Learning skills under the hydrological perspective.


Advanced Plant Pathology course approaches the International context of Plant Protection and, specifically, of protection of forests within a global changes scenarios, including climatic changes and biological invasions. The course aims to provide the single elements that make the complex picture of prevention, monitoring, diagnosis and control of forest pathogens, considering, time by time, the issues of international agreements, regulations, and the new frontiers of prevention, new diagnostic tools and the advances in knowledge on biological invasions

The course aims to provide the student with the basics to understand the structure and complexity of vertebrates with particular regard to forest ecosystems, making reference to an Italian, European and Mediterranean framework. For each group, general notions will be provided regarding the body's organizational plan, biology, ecological role, evolutionary aspects, highlighting the most significant species and conservation problems.

Innovation in the forestry chain. Knowledge of wood cascade use and exploitation of biomass to produce traditional and innovative wood-based composites. Improvements of wood chracteristics by eco-friendly and sustainable modification. All the topic will be related to regulations and to European technical standards (EN).

AIMS
The course will introduce students to principles and experimental approaches, continuously evolving, of plant biotechnology. This course is intended to strengthen basic knowledge on plant biotechnology applied to forest trees (green biotechnologies, categories of biotech processes and products, model plants, plant tissue culture, recombinant methods, molecular tools), by offering a framework to approach current scientific problems (i.e. the use of transgenic trees) and also provide a basis for specialized studies in the field of in vitro clonal propagation, tree breeding and functional genomics. In the laboratory classes, students will perform some of the techniques currently used to obtain micro-propagated plants, callus cultures, and protoplasts of forest species, and to detect genetic variation. The key concepts of the course will be integrated in a series of case studies, and students will enhance their ability to apply them to novel situations in problem-solving sessions, especially devoted to the Mediterranean region.

EXPECTED LEARNING RESULTS

Knowledge and understanding: at the end of the course students will have a thorough knowledge of the basic principles of forest biotechnology and of the modern techniques to obtain technological products (in vitro material characterized by clonal fidelity or somaclonal variants, secondary metabolites, transgenic and cisgenic trees, molecular tools for the study of genetic variability). Finally, they will have gained the ability to understand the potential use of biotech trees in order to increase the productivity of forest plantations also in disadvantaged environments (biotic and abiotic stress) or to use biotech trees for the recovery of barren lands (salinity, pollution);

Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be encouraged to take advantage of the knowledge acquired during the course and during laboratory practice in order to apply them to specific issues such as, for example, the propagation of ameliorated genotypes or somaclonal variants resistant to biotic or abiotic stress or characterized by high wood productivity, as well as the conservation of endangered species or provenances;

Making judgements: Students will be able to interpret and discuss scientific papers presented during class and be able to identify in them the highlights and key points;

Communication skills: during the lessons it will be stimulated students' ability to think and discuss about the topics covered as well as the comparison of opinions to develop their communication skills. These skills will then be tested in the examination;

Learning skills: students will be able to expose and develop scientific issues related to the course. The active involvement of students through oral classroom discussions and experiences in the laboratory practices, will develop that skill.

AIMS
Let the student know the nature, modification, functioning and transmission of genetic information of living organisms, with particular reference to forest trees. Provide the principles and methods for assessing the genetic variability of forest species for its use in tree improvement.

EXPECTED RESULTS
After completing the course, students must demonstrate that they: 1) have acquired the tools for the analysis of the transmission and recombination of hereditary characters.; 2) are able to interpret the results of genetic crosses; 3) have acquired knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation in forest trees; 4) have acquired the principles and the methods for the study of genetic variability of forest trees; 5) have acquired knowledge on the basic principles of genetic improvement of forest trees.

OBJECTIVES:
To know the environmental constrains of the main physiological processes, at tree and stand levels; to understand the acclimation responses to climate changes and to water scarcity; to gain familiarity with techniques and methodological approaches used in tree ecophysiology

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
knowledge and understanding
• A scientific based knowledge and understanding of the acclimation and adaptation of plant traits as response to the environmental conditions.
• An updated knowledge and understanding of the environmental drivers of carbon, water and nutrient cycles in plant and forest ecosystems.
• A basic knowledge and understanding of the process-based models as scaling tools

applying knowledge and understanding
- defining proper strategies and plans to improve the resilience of the forest ecosystems, also in a context of climate changes
- defining monitoring plans to support the management of trees and forests
- supporting screening strategies of resistant varieties and provenances of trees and shrubs, in reforestation programmes
- supporting the sustainable management of forest ecosystems, analysing the main functional processes in response to the management practices

making judgements
- analyse the results of survey and monitoring activities, providing scientific supported interpretation of the most probable cause-effects relationships
- interpret results of trials and pilot systems for the management or the re-establishments of trees and forest ecosystems/plantations

communication skills
- writes reports and prepares oral presentations on different subjects at professional and wide information levels
- explain proposed solutions to specific management questions in a multidisciplinary context
- presenting results of testing and experimental activities in scientific contexts

learning skills
- reading and understanding the international scientific literatures in the sector of forest and environmental relationships
- new methods and tools for the functional analyses of plant and forests

Course aims:

1. To present soil as a living, dynamic, vulnerable resource
2. To introduce the concept of soil quality, health and security
3. To present a basic set of indicators to monitor soil quality
4. To suggest how to choose the right indicators in relation to specific case studies in forest environment

Goal: this course provides students with a conceptual and practical understanding of the principles of statistically-designed inventories as tools for monitoring forests and sustainability of forest management.

The aim of the course is to give an introduction to the concepts of remote sensing and modeling with particular emphasis on the applications in forestry and environmental studies using also a number of practical cases.

EXPECTED RESULTS AND KNOWLEDGE:
The course will introduce the basis of remote sensing and all the technical aspects needed in order to apply the technique in practical studies in the forest and environmental domain. Students are expected to gain knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of the data used and methods and applying knowledge and understanding needed for the practical application, in particular for the data collection, preparation and corrections. The applications and examples will give also the needed background to develop their own judgment capacity in relation to the applicability of the methods in their specific cases.

The course, which provides an at least intermediate level of knowledge of the English language, is aimed at strengthening the main level B2 B2C language structures.

Advanced Plant Pathology course approaches the International context of Plant Protection and, specifically, of protection of forests within a global changes scenarios, including climatic changes and biological invasions. The course aims to provide the single elements that make the complex picture of prevention, monitoring, diagnosis and control of forest pathogens, considering, time by time, the issues of international agreements, regulations, and the new frontiers of prevention, new diagnostic tools and the advances in knowledge on biological invasions

The course aims to provide the student with the basics to understand the structure and complexity of vertebrates with particular regard to forest ecosystems, making reference to an Italian, European and Mediterranean framework. For each group, general notions will be provided regarding the body's organizational plan, biology, ecological role, evolutionary aspects, highlighting the most significant species and conservation problems.

1 - COURSE OBJECTIVES
The aim of the course is to present the soil as a proper ecosystem, and to make students capable of understanding and predicting, in principle: i) the behaviour and fate of natural and xenobiotic compounds in soils upon intentional or accidental additions; ii) the possible effects of these compounds on soil ecosystems; iii) the possible resilience of soils upon such events. To achieve such target, information will be provided on soil abiotic and biotic components, the relative physical, chemical and biochemical properties, and the mutual interactions and relationships. Interactions between soil and plants will be also illustrated. Information will be also supplied on the monitoring of soil ecosystems in both natural conditions and upon perturbation.


2 - LEARNING OUTCOMES 

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Knowledge of the various components of natural soils and of the interactions between these components. Knowledge of the physical, chemical and physico-chemical principles causing the natural and anthropic compounds (e.g. contaminants) to interact with the diverse components of soils, once they have been added to it. Knowledge of the possible approaches and monitoring systems (traditional vs. advanced) of both natural and perturbed soils.

ABILITY TO USE KNOWLEDGE AND COMPREHENSION
Capacity of identifying the main drivers of natural and perturbed soils, and of integrating and applying in specific contexts the information assimilated in the course: i) of such ecosystems, to understand the possible dynamics herein already present and ongoing; ii) of the monitoring systems, to assess the presence of perturbations and of dynamics in such ecosystems.

MAKING JUDGEMENT
To be able to interpret results obtained by observations and measurements (monitoring) to evaluate the extent of soil perturbation of and possible actions to make.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Capacity of communicating appropriately (i.e. precisely and with proper terminology) the assimilated information, concepts, dynamics and processes possibly present in soil ecosystems and described in the course. Capacity of expressing the concepts synthetically, but providing details when requested. Capacity of catching the main features characterising natural and perturbed soils.

LEARNING SKILLS
Capacity of assimilating the requested knowledge by using the various materials provided in the course, but mainly of expressing curiosity in understanding the causes of events occurring in perturbed soils, relative to the natural ones. Capacity of having an open mind to other standpoints and opinions, discussing them critically, without prejudices, and calling themselves into question.