The Sustainable Forest Management course instructs and engages students in understanding, applying, analyzing, discussing, critically evaluating and integrating in their own creations key practices, theories, scientific developments and socio-cultural perspectives regarding sustainable forest management in light of global climate change and the need to advance carbon neutrality, resource security, biodiversity, and ecological resilience alongside human health and wellbeing through the use of forest products in the built environment.
The goal of the Masters in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities is to encourage students to adopt a more ecological approach. One of the first interactions, and often among the most impactful, that architects and designers have with the environments of their projects is in specifying and sourcing building materials. Natural materials, such as timber, rely directly on the forests or other corresponding ecosystems from which they are extracted. Modern forestry standards ensure a continuous cycle of growing, harvesting and replanting. Demand for wood products encourages forest owners to keep their lands as forests and invest in practices to keep trees healthy – instead of clearing them for other uses like agriculture or development. Data shows that global regions with the highest levels of industrial timber harvest and forest product output are also regions with the lowest rates of deforestation. Active forest management, or forest thinning, mitigates wildfires, can cut carbon emissions, replenishes area waterways, and expands wildlife habitat while creating jobs in rural areas.
The Sustainable Forest Management module will guide students through the selective harvesting and milling of trees from the Valldaura Estate and associated databasing activities.
At the culmination of the course, students will understand through firsthand experience every step in the process of sustainable forest management and timber production as practiced via selective harvesting within the Valldaura Estate. Students should also be able to compare, contrast and synthesize several contexts, arguments and viewpoints into a nuanced and informed opinion on the various current leading methods of forest management and their ecological ramifications. Additionally, students will have produced ample timber from which to realize their forthcoming collaborative thesis project of a full-scale prototypical, self-sufficient building.
Our Sustainable Forest Management course kicked off in December with an open air lecture from Dr. Arbol. This explorative walk through the Valldaura forest helped us to better observe and understand how the ecosystem forest functions. We also learned how to identify the existing tree species and their way of growing in the context of … Read more
