Download Agroforestry_477_577_RNG_NR_FS_Syllabus revised 5-10

Agroforestry
RNG/NR/FS 477/577 Winter 2011
Instructor: Badege Bishaw
Office: Richardson Hall 208
Phone: 737-9495
Email: [email protected]
Supporting Websites:
OSU Blackboard - Instructional Portal
DoctorRange.com – Http://www.DoctorRange.com
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this course is to acquaint agriculture, forestry and other natural resources students
with the major types of agroforestry systems used by people in both developed and developing
countries and to increase your sensitivity to the interplay of biological, economic, social, and
political issues which underlie the application of agroforestry technology. The lectures focus on
integration of fundamental building blocks and concepts of agroforestry. Assigned readings add
training in designing specific technological applications such as silvopastures, nut-tree crop
combinations, riparian buffer strips, windbreaks, soil stabilization, and salty soil remediation
systems.
This course contributes to the Science, Technology, and Society component of the OSU
Baccalaureate Core. This course emphasizes the interactions of the science of agriculture,
forestry and livestock husbandry with the social and economic aspects of communities to
improve production while marinating the environment. Critical thinking is encouraged through
class discussions, assigned readings and writing Rhetorical Précis, prepares term paper and easy
examination questions.
Course learning objectives:
● To understand the various agroforestry concepts, systems and technologies used worldwide
● To understand the interactions between agricultural corps, livestock and trees for light,
soil nutrients and moisture and minimize competitions for these resources
● To understand the interplay of biological, economic, social and political issues underlies the
application of agroforestry technology
● To enable each student to investigate in depth at least one agroforestry issue or practice and
learn to find workable solutions
● To develop the ability of students to think critically about issues and practices associated with
Agroforestry practices nationally and globally
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Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this course and read all of the
assigned materials will be able to:
● Identify the major types of agroforestry systems.
● Consider biological, social, economic and environmental factors when designing or
evaluating agroforestry systems.
● Design simple windbreaks, silvopastures, riparian shelter belts, biological drainage, and soil
conservation systems.
Supporting Internet Sites: This course is supported by two internet sites; OSU BlackBoard and
DoctorRange.com. Material placed on OSU Blackboard is available for educational purposes
only to students enrolled in this class during this term. This allows us to make copy righted
materials available to you under the “Fair Use” provisions of current telecommunications law.
All material on BlackBoard should be considered to be intellectual property that may not be
transferred by you to anyone else. Materials which are in the open public domain are posted on
DoctorRange.com – The Natural Resources Knowledge Site. These materials are available to
anyone and you may transfer copies to other interested people. All class announcements will be
posted on BlackBoard. You should check BlackBoard regularly for announcements, additions,
and updates.
Assigned Videos and Readings: Weekly assigned videos will be posted in the “Course
Assignments” section of BlackBoard. The syllabus includes a weekly assigned readings list.
Successful answers to exam questions will include information drawn from lecture material,
assigned videos and from the assigned readings. It is suggested that you make notes when
reading the assigned articles and review these notes along with lecture notes when preparing for
exams. For your convenience, copies of assigned readings or internet links to readings are
available on BlackBoard. Everyone is expected to read all articles on the class list. Each week, 3
articles are designated with the @ symbol. Short summaries of these articles following the
rhetorical précis format are due at the end of class on the Friday of that week. Articles cited in
italic type on the reading list are extra sources for additional depth. They are not part of the
required readings.
Students enrolled for RNG/NR/FS 577
● are required to turn in an additional 2 précis each week for articles marked with the ®
symbol.
● Design and present interactive presentations that will be reviewed and discussed by the
instructor and their peers to refine their abilities to communicate in scientific settings.
Class Attendance: Your presence at each class meeting is important! Class discussions present
new material and integrate it with the assigned readings. Role will not be taken. However it is
assumed that students will faithfully attend all class meetings. Failure to attend class is most
often associated with poor grades. In order to encourage students to faithfully attend class,
précis and other assignments will only be accepted via Email under exceptional circumstances.
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Term Paper: A short, scholarly paper is required (Due Feb 21st)
Please see instructions for RNG/NR/FS 477 term papers, posted separately on
Blackboard.
Grades: Grades will be assigned based upon total points accumulated from the following items:
GRADE SCALE:
202 - 225 points = A
180 - 201 points = B
158 - 200 points = C
135 - 157 points = D
0 - 134 points = F
2 midterm Exams= 50 points each
1 comprehensive final exam=75 points
1 Term paper = 50 points
Studying for Examinations:
Examinations will be of the “essay” type. A question library for each midterm and the final will
be provided prior to each exam. Exam questions will be selected from this library. It is strongly
suggested that you think about each question, consult your notes and readings, then write out a
full answer to each question. This will greatly facilitate you being able to provide a full and well
organized answer to the questions on the actual exam. All exams will be “closed book”.
Plus and minus grades will be assigned sparingly to recognize performance which is at the margins of the whole
grade categories.
This course conforms to the Oregon State University Administrative rules relating to student conduct
(http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/index.htm) and accommodations for students with disabilities.
This course operates under the principle of “Structured Flexibility”. The specifics presented in
this syllabus represent the basic plan that we will follow. However, modifications may be made
to reflect changing conditions as the course progresses. Please check for announcements posted
on BlackBoard.
Academic integrity (OSU policy): http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm Students are
expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Intentional acts of academic
dishonesty such as cheating or plagiarism may be penalized by imposing an “F” grade in the
course.
Plagiarism: You are expected to submit your own work in all your assignments, postings to the
discussion board, and other communications, and to clearly give credit to the work of others
when you use it. Academic dishonesty will result in a grade of “F.” Link to Statement of
Expectations for Student Conduct: http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm
Students with Disabilities: Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students,
faculty and Disability Access Services (DAS). Students with accommodations approved through
DAS are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during
the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for
accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through DAS should contact DAS
immediately at 737-4098.
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Agroforestry - Class Schedule
Winter 2011
3 Jan.
Introduction to course, Writing Rhetorical Précis
5 Jan.
Definition and History of Agroforestry
7 Jan.
Types of Agroforestry, Systems Related to Agroforestry
10 Jan.
Video - Saving The Earth’s Soil (first 2/3rds)
12 Jan.
Alternate cycle agroforestry - Tropical forest swidden systems
14 Jan.
Survey of structural agroforestry systems
17 Jan.
No Class Meeting, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
19 Jan.
Structural Agroforestry Systems - Egypt
21 Jan.
Natural Resources and Social Infrastructure - Cycle of Poverty in Haiti
24 Jan.
Economic basis for agroforestry: Cash vs. noncash systems, Cash/commodity
flow, internal rate of return, Economics of scale.
26 Jan.
Economic basis for agroforestry: Net present value, fixed, variable, marginal
costs.
28 Jan.
Economic basis: Risk.
31Jan.
First Midterm Exam
2 Feb.
Economic basis: Macroeconomics and politics – Economic Colonialism.
4 Feb.
Ecological Basis: Stability, Succession, Niche.
7 Feb.
Agroforestry Practices in North America -National Agroforestry Center Video.
9 Feb.
National Agroforestry Center Video, Oak/woodland Video.
11 Feb.
Ecological Basis: Hydrologic cycle.
14 Feb.
Ecological Basis: Nutrient cycling, Energy flow.
16 Feb.
Dehesa, an ancient silvopastoral system in Spain (Video)
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18 Feb.
Interaction among Components - Resource sharing in time & Space
21 Feb.
Interaction Among Components - Facilitation & interference.
Term Paper Due - Turn in a précis for your term paper
23 Feb.
Ecological Basis: Selecting agroforestry components.
Example: analysis of Alley Cropping.
25 Feb.
Ecological Role of Humans: Do humans have a niche?
28 Feb.
Social Basis: Division of labor, Decision making, Social status, Beauty, Head of
household concept
2 Mar.
Social Basis: Social equity, Class and Gender issues.
4 Mar.
Second Midterm Exam
7 Mar.
Social Basis: Ownership, Land tenure, Taxes.
9 Mar.
Putting agroforestry to work: Silvopastoralism in commercial forest, Oregon and
British Columbia.
11 Mar.
Putting agroforestry to work: Agrosilvopastoralism in commercial forest, Western
Oregon.
17th March
FINAL EXAM – Thursday, 9:30 AM
Some interesting web sites:
Oregon Small farms Site - http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/
World Agroforestry Center (formerly ICRAF) - http://www.worldagroforestry.org/
USDA National Agroforestry Center - http://www.unl.edu/nac
Association for Temperate Agroforestry - http://www.aftaweb.org/
The Overstory- Agroforestr.net - http://agroforestry.net/
USDA Natural Resources Conserv. Serv.- http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/forestry.html
California Hardwood Page - http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp/
Glossary of Agroforestry terms - http://www.bugwood.org/glossary/
University of Missouri Agroforestry Center - http://www.centerforagroforestry.org/
National Sustainable Information Service - http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/agroforestry.html
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AGROFORESTRY
Assigned Readings
This course uses a set of assigned readings rather than a published textbook. The set of assigned
articles was selected to give a broad view of agroforestry, including both specific technology
along with the social, economic and biological context in which it operates. Several articles from
each week’s readings are marked with a @. You should write a Rhetorical Précis (Woodworth
1988) for each of these articles and turn them in on Friday of the assignment week. I will quickly
scan the Précis and assign a √ for satisfactory, √+ exemplary, and a √- for marginally acceptable
Précis. Students who turn in all Précis on time with an average of √ or better will be eligible to
accept their grade as offered on the last day of class without taking the final exam. Students
taking the class for graduate credit are required to prepare additional articles each week from
articles marked with a ®.
The Rhetorical Précis is a formally structured abstract of the content and context of a written
work. It treats articles as a form of active discourse between the author and the reader. It is much
more than a simple summary of the article’s content. Writing the Précis requires you to think
about the structure of the presentation, its purpose, and the merits of its supporting evidence. I
am hoping that this structure will help you become a more thoughtful consumer of information
by increasing your ability to extract and evaluate information from written material. The more
clearly a work is presented and understood, the easier it is to write a Précis for it. The Précis,
therefore, also presents a simple and effective tool for evaluating your own writings.
A Rhetorical Précis is a 4-sentence description in the following form:
1. Name of author, optional phrase describing author, type and year of work, rhetorically
accurate verb (argues, describes, suggests, implies, claims, concludes), and a statement
including the central point of the work.
2. An explanation of how the author develops and supports the central point of the work.
3. A statement of the author’s purpose for writing the work followed by an “in order to” phrase.
4. A description of the intended audience and the relationship established with the audience.
Rhetorical Précis Example:
Kris Irwin, in his USDA Agroforestry Note “Outdoor living barn: a specialized windbreak”
(1996), describes the structure and benefits of tree shelter belts for livestock protection. He
engages the imagination of ranchers and farmers by providing specific shelter designs that have
been successfully used in the past. The note is intended to motivate livestock owners to design
and establish their own windbreaks. He uses a conservational style to establish a consultative
relationship with the reader.
Irwin, K. 1996. Outdoor living barn: a specialized windbreak. USDA Forest
Serv.,Nat.Agroforestry Ctr., Lincoln. NB. AF Note 2. 4p.
http://www.unl.edu/nac/agroforestrynotes/an02w02.pdf
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Agroforestry - Winter 2011
ASSIGNED READINGS
Week 1 (3 -7th Jan.)
Beetz, A. 2002. Agroforestry Overview. Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas
Fayetteville, AR. http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/agroforestry.html
@Eichhorn, M.P., P.Paris, F.Herzog, L.D. Incoll, F.Liagre, K.Mantzazas, M.Mayus, G.Moreno,
V.P. Papansastasis, D.J. Pilbeam, A. Pisanelli, and C. Dupraz. 2006. Silvoarable systems in
Europe- past, present, and future prospects. Agroforestry Sys. 67:29-50.
® Godse, L. D. 2001.The Future of Agriculture and the Role of Agroforestry. Temperate
Agroforester. http://www.aftaweb.org/entserv1.php?page=17
® Gram, S., L.P. Kvist, and A. Caseres. 2001. The economic importance of products extracted
from Amazon flood plain forests. Ambio 30:365-368.
@Miller, R.P, and P.K.R.Nair. 2006. Indigenous agroforestry systems in Amazonia: from
prehistory to today. Agroforestry Sys. 66:151-164.
@ Sharrow, S.H. 1997. The biology of silvopastoralism. USDA NRCS AF Note 9. National
Agroforestry Center, Lincoln Nebraska. 4p.
Sharrow, S.H. 2003. Converting a pasture to a silvopasture in the Pacific Northwest. USDA
NRCS AF Note 26. National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln Nebraska. 4p.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. What is agroforestry? DoctorRange.com-The Natural Resources Knowledge
Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
Week 2 (10 - 14th Jan.)
@ Clason, T.R. 1995. Economic implications of silvipastures on southern pine plantations.
Agroforestry Sys. 29:227-238.
® Gadsby, P. and D. Gallagher. 2002. The botanical battle to save an ancient flavor –
Endangered Chocolate. Discover 23:64-70.
Murray, G.F., and M.E. Bannister. 2004. Peasants, agroforesters, and anthropologists: a 20-year
venture in income-generating trees and hedgerows in Haiti. Agroforestry Sys. 61:383-397.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. The 5 most common agroforestry practices. DoctorRange.com-The Natural
Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
@ Tierney, J. 1990. A bet on planet earth. New York Time Magazine, Dec. 2.
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® White, T.A., and J.L. Jickling. 1995. Peasants, experts, and land use in Haiti: lessons from
indigenous and project technology. J. Soil Water Conserv. 50(1):7-14.
Zimmerman, T. 1986. Agroforestry - a last hope for conservation in Haiti? Agroforestry Sys.
4:255 - 268.
@Zinkhan, F.C., and D.E. Mercer. 1997. An assessment of agroforestry systems in the southern
USA. Agroforestry Sys. 35:303-321.
Week 3 (17- 21st Jan.)
@Horwith, B. 1985. A role for intercropping in modern agriculture. BioSci. 35:286 - 289.
@Jacob, V.J., and W.S. Alles. 1987. Kandyan gardens of Sri Lanka. Agroforestry Sys.
5:123-137.
® Montagnini, F., and R.O. Mendelson. 1997. Managing forest fallows: improving the
economics of swidden agriculture. Ambio 26: 118-123.
@ Raintree, J.B., and K. Warner. 1986. Agroforestry pathways for the intensification of shifting
cultivation. Agroforestry Sys. 4:39-54.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. Forest farming – Multilayered Production Systems. DoctorRange.com-The
Natural Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
Sharrow, S.H. 1998. Silvopastoral design with animals in mind. Temperate Agroforester, 6(3).
http://www.aftaweb.org/entserv1.php?page=22
®Wiersum, K.F. 1997. Indigenous exploitation and management of tropical forest resources: an
evolutionary continuum in forest-people interactions. Agr. Ecosys & Environ.ment. 63:1-16.
Week 4 (24 Jan. – 28th Jan.)
@ Diamond, N.K., R.B. Standiford, P.C. Passof, and J. LeBlanc. 1987. Oak trees have varied
effect on land values. Calif. Agr. 41:4 - 6.
@ Flugge, F., and A. Abadi. 2006. Farming carbon: an economic analysis of agroforestry for
carbon sequestration and dryland salinity reduction in Western Australia. Agroforestry Sys.
68:181-1292.
@ Garrett, H.E,, M.S. Kerley, K.P. Ladyman, W.D. Walter, L.D. Godsey. , and J.W. Van
Sambeek. 2004. Hardwood silvopasture management in North America. Agroforestry Sys.
61:21-33.
Garrett, H.E., J.E. Jones, W.B. Kurtz, and J.P. Slusher. 1991. Black walnut (Juglans nigra L.)
agroforestry - its design and potential as a land-use alternative. Forestry Chronicle 67:213-218.
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RE: Merwin, M.1996. Intercropping black walnut in Oregon’e Willamette Valley. Temperate
Agroforester, 4(1). http://www.aftaweb.org/entserv1.php?page=16
® Martin, G. 1996. Keepers of the oaks. Discover, August issue: 45-50.
®Rengasamy, P., D. Chittlebourough, and K. Helyar. 2003. Root-zone constraints and plantbased solutions for dryland salinity. Plant and Soil 257:249-260.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. Carbon Farming – The global carbon cycle. DoctorRange.com-The Natural
Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. Trading Carbon credits in Oregon. DoctorRange.com-The Natural
Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
University of Melbourne. 1999. Design principles for farm forestry. Chapter 2: Trees for
controlling dryland salinity and water logging.
http://www.mtg.unimelb.edu.au/publications/design.htm
Welsch, D.J. 1991. Riparian forest buffers- function and design for protection and enhancement
of water resources. USDA Forest Serv. Pub. NA-PR-07-91. 20p.
http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/n_resource/buffer/cover.htm
RE:Maki, Michael.2001. Natural Resources Consultants, Seattle, WA Riparian Buffers -Active
Management Best Way to Enhance Functional Values of Riparian Buffers. Temperate
Agroforester. http://www.aftaweb.org/entserv1.php?page=30
Week 5 (31st Jan. - 4th Feb.)
@ Elevitch, C. and K. Wilkinson. 1995. Nitrogen Fixing Trees: Multipurpose Pioneers.
Premaculture International Journal. http://agroforester.com/articles/NFTs.html
@Sanchez, P.A., R.J. Buresh, and R.B. Leakey. 1997. Trees, soils, and food chemistry. Phil.
Trans. R. Soc. London. B. 352:949-961.
® Schultz, R.C., T.M. Isenhart, W.W. Simpkins, and J.P. Colletti. 2004. Riparian forest buffers
in agroecosystems – lessons learned from the Bear Creek Watershed, central Iowa, USA.
Agroforestry Sys. 61:35-50.
® Sharrow, S.H., and S. Ismail. 2004. Carbon and nitrogen storage in agroforests, tree
plantations, and pastures in western Oregon USA. Agroforestry Sys. 60:123-130.
@Sharrow, S.H. 1991. Tree planting pattern effects on forage production in a Douglas-fir
agroforest. Agroforestry Sys. 16:167-175.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. The time element of natural resource investment. DoctorRange.com-The
Natural Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
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Sharrow, 2008. Lowering risk in natural resources production. DoctorRange.com-The Natural
Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
Ssekabembe, C.K. 1985. Perspectives on hedgerow intercropping. Agroforestry Sys. 3:339 - 356.
Week 6 (7 – 11th Feb.)
® Altieri, M.A., and L.L. Schmidt. 1986. Cover crops affect insect and spider populations in
apple orchards. Calif. Agr. 40:15 - 17.
@ Burgers, P., Q.M. Ketterings, and D.P. Garrity. 2005. Fallow management strategies and
issues in Southeast Asia. Agric. Ecosystems & Environ. 110:1013.
@ Garcia-Barrios, L., and C.K. Ong. 2004. Ecological interactions, management lessons and
design tools in tropical agroforestry systems. Agroforestry Systems 61:221-236.
Hunter, A.F., and L.W. Aarssen. 1988. Plants helping plants. BioScience 38:34-40.
@ Jose, S., A.R. Gillespie, and S.G. Pallardy. 2004. Interspecific interactions in temperate
agroforestry. Agroforestry Sys. 61:237-255.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. The art of land management – Understanding Competition.
DoctorRange.com-The Natural Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. Death by Cavitation. DoctorRange.com-The Natural Resources Knowledge
Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
Sharrow, 2008. Succession – the time dimension of land management. DoctorRange.com-The
Natural Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
® Simmons, M.T., S.R. Archer, W.R. Teague, and R.J. Ansley. 2007. Tree (Prosopis glandulosa)
effects on grass growth: An experimental assessment of above- and belowground interactions in
a temperate sananna. J. arid Environ. (in press)
Week 7 (14 – 18th Feb.)
@ Anonymous. 2003. Sloping Agricultural Land technology (SALT)- A guide to how to farm
your hilly land without losing your topsoil. Agroforestry Information Network, Philippines.
http://hrdc.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph/cin/AFIN/technologies%20-%20salt1.htm
@ Brandle, J.R., L. Hodges, and H.H.Zhou. 2004. Windbreaks in North American Agricultural
Systems. Agroforestry Sys. 61:65078.
Cleugh, H., et al. 2002. The Australian National Windbreak Program: overview and summary of
results. Aust. J. Exp. Agr. 42:649-664.
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Re: Wilson, J.S. 1996. NebGuide -Windbreak Design. Cooperative Extension,Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources, Univ. Nebraska, Lincoln NB.
http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/index.jsp
® Hemp, C. 2005. The Chagga home gardens – relict areas for endemic Salatoria species
(Insecta: Orthoptera) on Mount Kilimanjaro. Biol. Conserv. 125:203-209.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. Succession – the time dimension of land management. DoctorRange.comThe Natural Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. Dehesa – growing oaks, livestock, and crops together. DoctorRange.comThe Natural Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
® Soini, E. 2005. Changing livlkihoods on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: Challenges
and opportunities in the Chagga homegarden system. Agroforestry Sys. 64:157-167.
@ Tyndall, J., and J. Colletti. 2007. Mitigating swine odor with strategically designed shelterbelt
systems: a review. Agroforestry Sys. 69:45-65.
Week 8 (21 – 25th Feb.)
@Brunson, M.W. 1993. "Socially acceptable" forestry: what does it imply for ecosystem
management? Western J. Appl. Forestry 8:116-119.
Sharrow, S.H. 2008. Socially acceptable natural resource management. DoctorRange.com-The
Natural Resources Knowledge Site. Http://www.DoctorRange.com.
@Diamond, J. 1987. The worst mistake in the history of the human race. Discover, May issue:
64 - 66.
® Hussain, I. 2007. Understanding gender and diversity dimensions of irrigation management
for pro-poor interventions. Irrigation and Drainage 56:299-305.
Rahman, S.A. 2006. Gender analysis of labour contribution and productivity of popular cropping
systems in Kaduna State of Northern Nigeria. Tropical Agr. Res. Ext. 9:53-64.
@ Rocheleau, D., and D. Edmunds. 1997. Women, Men and Trees: Gender, power and poverty
in forest and agrarian landscapes. World Develop. 25:1351-1371.
® Weinstock, J.A., and N.T. Vergara. 1987. Land or plants: agricultural tenure in agroforestry
systems. Econ. Bot. 41:312-322.
Week 9 (28 Feb. - 4th Mar.)
@ Davies, Karl. Undated. Indian Agroforestry - Some ecological aspects of Northeastern Indian
agroforestry practices. http://www.daviesand.com/Papers/Tree_Crops/Indian_Agroforestry/
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® Jaindl, R.G., and S.H. Sharrow. 1988. Oak/Douglas-fir/sheep: a three-crop silvopastoral
system.
Agroforestry Sys. 6:147-152.
@ Pilz, D., and R. Molina. 2002. Commercial harvests of edible mushrooms from forests of the
Pacific Northwest United States: Issues, management, and monitoring for sustainability. Forest
Ecol. Manage. 155:3-16.
® Sharrow, S.H. 2007. Applying Targeted Grazing to Coniferous Forest Management
in Western North American. Chapter 10 IN: Launchbaugh, K. (ed.) Targeted Grazing: A Natural
Approach to Vegetation Management and Landscape Enhancement. American Sheep Industry
association, Denver Co.
Week 10 (7 Mar. - 11th Mar.)
No Assigned Readings
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Instructions For Term Papers
Each student is required to prepare a term paper for RNG 477 and RNG 577. The purpose of
assigning a term paper is to:(1) give you additional practice in written composition, (2) provide
an opportunity for you to explore a narrowly-focused agroforestry subject in a more detailed,
integrated way than we will be able to do in class, and (3) encourage you to develop scholarship
skills as an acquirer and user of information. Specific requirements for the paper are as follows:
PAPERS DUE: at end of class period, 21st February 2011.
SUBJECT: Any topic which focuses on agroforestry is acceptable. Appropriate topics may be
discussions of existing agroforestry systems or concepts, applications of concepts from other
fields (ex. sociology, art, landscape architecture, entomology, physics, anthropology, economics,
agronomy, silviculture, etc.) to agroforestry systems, or the diagnosis and design of agroforestry
interventions (ex. biological drainage, riparian filter belts, windbreaks, carbon sinks, biofuel
plantations, biodiversity preserves) to solve specific problems. It is expected that all papers will
draw upon past published work as well as include new, creative insights from yourself. Excellent
papers are not mere book reports. They bring together relevant information from several sources
in order to draw broader conclusions. An excellent approach to writing a short paper is to
first browse the available literature to see what topics are being discussed, select a topic
that interests you, form your exploration into a meaningful question, then proceed to
answer the question in your paper.
Please do not limit your search for relevant information to either the internet or to OASIS.
OASIS catalogues books, magazines, and journals held by the Valley Library. It does not access
articles within magazines or journals. Most current scientific information is first published as
individual articles, only later is a limited portion of it synthesized into books or news reports.
You should access the original sources of information as much as possible, rather than relying
on someone else’s retelling of what was in the article. Searchable databases of individual articles
such as CAB abstracts and AGRICOLA are available online through the OSU Valley Library.
Please use them.
STRUCTURE: Every paper should contain an introduction that states the subject of the paper
and explains why it is of interest to the reader. The body of the text should then expand upon the
topic by relating what you have learned about your thesis, using a dynamic, incisive, yet
captivating writing style. All that remains is to draw together the main points of your thesis in the
conclusion section by pointing out the implications and applications of what you have presented.
A conclusions section is not a summary of the paper. Please take pity on me! Make your papers
interesting!
LENGTH: Length of the paper should be appropriate for the subject that it covers. A paper of 68 double spaced typed pages (not including the literature cited, tables, or graphs) is about right
for our purposes. I will not read more than 10 pages (of 12 point type) per term paper. Papers
that are too short or are excessively long often reflect the selection of an overly narrow or an
excessively broad topic. It is generally best to limit the scope of a short term paper to one or two
well developed main points.
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PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS: The work of other people should be properly credited to them
in your paper. Such work includes tables, graphs, new concepts, and new terminology as well as
actual quotes from their published works. Plagiarism is a serious form of academic dishonesty
because it is theft of someone’s work! Changing a few words of someone else’s work and then
presenting it as your own is still plagiarism. It is also not ethical to cite references that you have
not actually read, or to misrepresent the literature cited. I reserve the right to not accept any class
material that raises ethical questions until the questions are resolved.
REFERENCES: You should draw upon the major relevant works in the area being discussed.
Term papers based upon one or two books or a symposium proceedings are likely to be
discounted when points are assigned. Personal experiences and opinions are valuable sources of
inspiration but should not be the sole source of information drawn upon. The internet contains a
wealth of information. However, internet publications generally lack any organized system of
quality control. Care should be taken in accepting internet publications as being either correct or
useful. The internet should be only a small portion of your references. Some research
organizations and electronic journals are publishing material on the internet. E-publications may
be referenced similarly to paper publications, with the addition of the internet URL. YouTube
and other popular sources may offer original sources such as television interviews or on-site
news investigations. These sources are best cited with the complete title and site URL address as
shown below.
References should follow the AIBS (American Institute of Biological Sciences) style generally
used in biological journals. In this style, the authorship and year of cited works is included in the
text immediately after the cited material. Citations often take the form: In Africa, people
(Johnson and Smith 1978), as well as livestock (Sneed 1989) are important components... or
Smith (1990), believes that people should eat more tree fruits. When more than one article is
cited for an item, they should be listed in chronological order. Example: Tree tenure is important
in evaluating the feasibility of agroforestry systems (Edwin 1975; Aacombe 1986; Gaff 1989).
The assigned readings use the AIBS style. They are a useful reference for how materials should
be cited.
References noted in the text should be included in a literature-cited section at the end of the
paper. Some commonly encountered types of citations are as follows:
Journal Article:
Rhodes, B.D., and S.H. Sharrow. 1990. Effect of grazing by sheep on the quantity and quality of forage available to
big game in Oregon's coast range. J. Range Manage. 43:235-237.
Book:
Douglas, J.S., and R.A. de J. Hart. 1984. Forest Farming. A. Wheaton & Co. Ltd., Exeter, Great Britain.207p.
Book, part of:
Sharrow, S.H., D.N. Ueckert, and A.E. Johnson. 1988. Ecology and toxicology of Senecio species with special
reference to Senecio jabobaea and Senecio longilobus. pp. 181-198. IN: James, L.F., M.H. Ralphs, and D.B. Nielsen
(eds.). The ecology and economic impact of poisonous plants on livestock production. Westview Press, Boulder,
Colorado.
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Internet Article:
Smith, Jane Kapler (ed.). 2000. Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on fauna. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR42-vol. 1. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 83 p.
http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/.
YouTube Video:
Sharrow, Steve. 2008. Poison oak – know it and avoid it. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo_CZBmep0&feature=channel.
Crawford, Martin. 2009. A forest garden year-Perennial crops for a changing climate. YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ggwa5irxmg
For additional examples of literature citations, see the reference sections of articles in your reading list. Please keep
in mind that references which do not contain sufficient detail to allow readers to find the source are of little use.
Checklist for Term Papers
Papers will be evaluated based upon the following factors:
(1) Subject: Is it focused upon an aspect of Agroforestry? Is the subject interesting?
(2) Structure: Does text have a logical flow from introduction to main body to conclusions? Please
note that conclusions are not a summary.
(3) English Composition: Is text grammatically correct, diverse in sentence structure, free of
typographical errors and misspellings?
(4) References: Does the paper draw upon the major relevant work? Are references adequately
described and their content fairly characterized? Is work properly referenced in AIBS style?
(5) Depth: Is the subject explored in sufficient depth to support meaningful insights or conclusions?
(6) Logic: Are conclusions and assumptions clearly stated? Do they logically follow from the
material presented?
(7) Impression: Does the paper give the impression that considerable effort was devoted to its
research and preparation?
Please Take Pride in your work!
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