Duration
40h Th, 7h Pr, 10h FT
Number of credits
| Master in forests and natural areas engineering (120 ECTS) | 6 crédits |
Lecturer
Hugues Claessens, Frédéric Francis, Simon Lhoest, Sébastien Massart
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course covers forest health, forest management in health crises, and the One Health approach. It is divided into the following sections:
- Ecosystem resilience and temperate forest health;
- Abiotic causes of forest declinee;
- Forest pests;
- Forest tree pathogens and diseases;
- Diagnosis of weakened trees;
- Forest health monitoring and pest control strategies;
- Forest health crisis management;
- One Health approach integrating ecosystem, animal and human health.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Identify abiotic, biotic and human risks to forest production in temperate forests;
- Diagnose a diseased tree;
- Identify the main forest pests and pathogens;
- Diagnose declining populations;
- Understand the importance of a surveillance network for forest health;
- Identify the appropriate stakeholders and the relevant decisions in the event of a health crisis;
- Understand the multiple interactions between ecosystem, animal and human health.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Identification of forest tree species; basic knowledge in entomology, ecology and site characterisation.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
- Lectures;
- Field work: tree health assessment, insect trapping and disease sampling;
- Laboratory: insects and disease identification;
- Flipped classroom and interdisciplinary document synthesis (One Health);
- Team work in pairs.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Course materials are provided in pdf format and will be placed online on eCampus.
Recommended or required readings
Course materials (slides, podcasts) are available on eCampus
The following documents will allow to gain further knowledge. Their use is highly recommended but optional. They are available in the library or online.
- Nageleisen L.M., Piou D., Saintonge F.X., Riou-Nivert P. (2010) - La santé des forêts : Maladies, Insectes, accidents climatiques. Diagnostic et prévention. - DSF/IDF;
- Gauquelin X (2011) - Guide de gestion des forêts en crise sanitaire. - ONF / IDF (https://agriculture.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/Guide_de_gestion_des_forets_en_crise_sanitaire_cle4d6979.pdf);
- Abras S., Fassotte C., Chandelier A., Cavelier M. (2009) - Guide visuel des principales maladies et ravageurs des essences ligneuses des milieux rivulaires. - DGRNE et CRAW. (https://www.crhm.be/documentations-sensibilisation/faune-et-flore/83-guide-visuel-des-principales-maladies-et-ravageurs-des-essences-ligneuses-des-milieux-rivulaires-en-wallonie/file);
- Cecil Konijnendijk, Dikshya Devkota, Stephanie Mansourian & Christoph Wildburger (eds.), 2023. Forests and Trees for Human Health: Pathways, Impacts, Challenges and Response Options. A Global Assessment Report. IUFRO World Series Volume 41. Vienna. 232 p. (https://www.iufro.org/news/article/2023/03/21/world-series-vol-41-forests-and-trees-for-human-health-pathways-impacts-challenges-and-respons/).
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Written work / report
Additional information:
The assessment is based on:
- Presentation and defense of the team work (30%, during the course);
- Report on practical work in phytopathology laboratory (10%, during the course);
- Oral examination, with a 20-minute open-book preparation (60 %, during the January session).
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Hugues Claessens (coordinator)
Francis Frédéric
Lhoest Simon
Massart Sébastien
University of Liege - Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
2, Passage des Déportés,
5030 Gembloux (Belgium)
http://www.gembloux.ulg.ac.be/gf