Course code MežZ2041

Credit points 1.50

Landscape Design

Total Hours in Course40

Independent study hours40

Date of course confirmation21.04.2021

Responsible UnitInstitute of Forest Management

Course developer

author

Līga Liepa

Dr. silv.

Course abstract

During this study course, students acquire practical skills about the afforestation and forest edge design, as well as accomplish recreational trails for the various target audiences in the existing forest landscape.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Students will acquire practical knowledge about the application of landscape composition elements in forest edge planning, as well as their graphic representation, defining the purposes and planning processes of afforestation and recreational trail accomplishment.
Students will gain acquired practical knowledge-based competencies on the appropriate solutions for afforestation and edges in forested landscape, as well as practical skills on compilation a cost estimate for short-term management planning.
Students will master their problem-solving skills by finding proposals and solutions, to achieve the proper design of afforestation and edge creation in a forested landscape. To find a usage between the existing forest landscape and recreational trail planning in the forested landscape with different management purposes, depending on the target audience.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. All necessities required for afforestation planning. The assessment of project territory and graphical representation.
2. Selection of the afforested forest parcel and representation of mapping.
3. Analysis of available information according to forest stand description.
4. The determination of afforestation objectives and suitability for a projected forest parcel.
5. Selection of appropriate tree species for afforestation. The determination of the required amount of seedlings and development of cost estimates.
6. The assessment of available literature resources on forest edge design. Selection of tree and shrub species.
7. The representation of forest stand and forested edge design in the map while using a graphical approach.
8. The determination of cost estimates of required seedlings for forested edge project.
9. Creation of a graphic representation for the visualization of the designed forest stand with formed forest edge.
10. The assessment on the potential of recreation in project pilot territory while using all available information sources.
11. Analysis of the potential use in recreation for the project in the pilot territory.
12. Potential of recreational trails and route selection.
13. Representation of the recreational trail route in the plan, using the advantages of the pilot territory.
14. Establishment of infrastructure objects.
15. The establishment of cost estimates for materials and workloads
16. Development of conclusions and proposals for project pilot territory.

Requirements for awarding credit points

The final grade comprises:
1. Elaboration and submission of the course project according to specified requirements. (80% of the final grade);
2. Presentation of course project (20% of the final grade).

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Additional study of literature regarding developed course description.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

- A student can obtain positive evaluation grade for the course project if all required points indicated in the description of the course plan are described and analyzed.
- The final grade comprises from submitted course project (deadline for submission will be specified) according to specified requirements (up to 80% of the final grade) and the presentation of the course project (up to 20% of the final grade).

Compulsory reading

- Bels S. Nikodemus O. Rokasgrāmata meža ainavas plānošanai un dizainam. Rīga: Valsts Meža dienests, 2000. 76 lpp.
- Robinson N. The Planting Design Handbook. Ashgate Publishing Company, 2004 Ir LLU FB datubāzē eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Pieejams: http://ezproxy.llu.lv/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=269792&site=eds-live&scope=site
- Bell S., Apostol D. Designing sustainable Forest Landscapes. London; New York: Taylor & Francis, 2008.
- Melluma A., Lūkins M. Lauksaimniecības zemju apmežošana. Latvijas vides aizsardzības fonds, meža īpašnieku konsultatīvais centrs. 30 lpp.
- With, K.A., 2019. Essentials of Landscape Ecology. Oxford University Press.

Further reading

- Konijnendijk C., Nilsson K., Randrup T.B., Schipperijn J. 2005. Urban Forests and Trees. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
- Ellison, D., Morris, C.E., Locatelli, B., Sheil, D., Cohen, J., Murdiyarso, D., Gutierrez, V., Van Noordwijk, M., Creed, I.F., Pokorny, J. and Gaveau, D., 2017. Trees, forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world. Global Environmental Change, 43, pp.51-61.
- Gamfeldt, L., Snäll, T., Bagchi, R., Jonsson, M., Gustafsson, L., Kjellander, P., Ruiz-Jaen, M.C., Fröberg, M., Stendahl, J., Philipson, C.D. and Mikusiński, G., 2013. Higher levels of multiple ecosystem services are found in forests with more tree species. Nature communications, 4, p.1340.
- Perera, A.H., Buse, L.J., Crow, T., 2006. Forest Landscape Ecology; transferring knowledge to practice. Springer.

Notes

Prior knowledge is not required.