Forest Planning and Business Management

Subject FRST90073 (2010)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2010.

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 9 (Graduate/Postgraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

April, Creswick - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable

Intensive teaching, Creswick



Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: 24 hours of lectures, 36 hours tutorials and practical work. Students are expected to undertake additional study of at least one hour for each hour of contact partly involved with group forest planning assignment.
Total Time Commitment: Estimated total time commitment (including non-contact time): 120 hours.
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Coordinator

Dr Peter Ades

Contact

Course Administrator, Master of Forest Ecosystem Science, Phone: +61 3 5321 4300 Fax: +61 3 5321 4166 Email: forests-info@unimelb.edu.au,
Subject Overview:

This subject covers the management of forest businesses and decision-making for public and private forest organisations. Students will be required to work as part of a team to investigate a forested area, analyse appropriate forest information and prepare and present a balanced forest plan that includes recommendations for future management options. Content includes:

  • commercial objectives of forestry enterprises;

  • management of forest businesses and decision-making;

  • advanced budgeting, financial management and valuation, and assessment of silvicultural options;

  • long-term and short-term planning systems;

  • linear programming and simulation models for forest planning;

  • marketing and product mix;

  • integrating non-wood values into commercial forest management.
Objectives:

At the conclusion of this subject students will:

  • Have analysed cash-flow for a forestry investment and conducted a discounted cash-flow analysis of various scenarios and risk elements
  • Have collated and prepared the necessary information for investigating a range of management options for a hypothetical forest using linear programming
  • Have been introduced to and commenced development of a simple computer based model for regulating wood flow from a forest managed for commercial wood production
  • Understand the effect of scale in commercial forest activities and strategies to maximise benefit to growers
  • Investigate and report on aspects of commercial management of forests
Assessment: Applied exercises 40%, major essay (2000 words) 40%, 4 x short reports 20% (5% each report)
Prescribed Texts: None
Recommended Texts:
  • Forest Management: to sustain ecological, economic, and social values.(L S Davis et al) McGraw-Hill (4th ed.)
  • Mathematical Programming for Natural Resource Management (Dennis P. Dykstra) McGraw-Hill, 1984
Breadth Options:

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.
Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Links to further information: http://www.forests.unimelb.edu.au/subjects.html
Related Course(s): Bachelor of Forest Science (Honours)
Master of Forest Ecosystem Science

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