Free Online Forestry Courses
Our forests have long provided food, shelter, and oxygen to humans and animals, but today’s over-exploitation has caused many species to go extinct and decreased carbon dioxide reabsorption, which contributes to global warming.
Due to this, there is an increased need for experts with knowledge of forest management. Are you considering taking a course in forestry online? – Free online forestry courses are available from reputable universities, FAO in partnership with the UNO, and top e-learning platforms like Alison and more. These courses can advance your profession, but selecting the best course is highly dependent on the course content and your career path.
Continue reading to learn about the top 11 forestry courses and their course content.
Best Free Forestry Courses Online
If you are still reading this article, then you are interested in the best list of free online forestry courses that will help you get your career to another level. Below is the list of the best courses for you. Read on!!
- Advanced Diploma in Forest Management
- An Introduction to Forest Management
- An Introduction to Silvicultural Practices
- An Introduction to Forest Mensuration and Survey
- Managing Forests, Wood Science: Beyond Building
- Forests and transparency under the Paris Agreement
- SDG Indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1 – Forest area and sustainable forest management
- Sustainable Forest Management In A Changing World
- Forest Resource Management And Protection
- Sustainable Forest Management In A Changing World
- Restoration Of Degraded Forest Ecosystems & Forest Plantation Development
1. Advanced Diploma in Forest Management
In this free online forestry course, you can earn a certification in forest management. You’ll discover how to manage trees using sustainable and rational methods. Students will gain knowledge about the numerous types of forests, their ecological value, and their benefits, as well as the various dangers that now afflict forests. Studying this forest management training course would benefit anyone interested in forestry and related subjects.
2. An Introduction to Forest Management
This is one of those free online forestry courses where you will learn about the science behind managing forests in this course. We look at the characteristics of various forest kinds, their ecological advantages, and their monetary worth. Anyone with an interest in forestry, climate change, forest products, wood production, or forest resources should take this course. This training can help you become qualified to take up the fight to protect and maintain our treasured but disappearing woods.
3. An Introduction to Silvicultural Practices
In this free online forestry course, you will learn the fundamental silvicultural techniques that support the development and maintenance of timber products. You’ll discover basic management methods for nurseries, caring procedures, and procedures for collecting and treating seeds properly. Studying this course would benefit anyone interested in forest ecosystems, forest management, silviculture, nursery management, or other relevant subjects.
4. An Introduction to Forest Mensuration and Survey
This is one of the topnotch free online forestry courses offered by Alison where you may learn how to measure the physical characteristics of various tree species in this free online forestry course, Forest Mensuration, and Survey, and you’ll also be exposed to several sorts of forest surveys and the equipment needed to carry them out. Additionally, you will learn the standards for calculating a tree’s height and diameter. Anyone who frequently works with forests would benefit significantly from knowing this.
5. Managing Forests, Wood Science: Beyond Building
In this course, you will discover the significance of wood in human history, culture, and the future. By the completion of the course, students will be able to: – explain the value of wood as a raw material for the world economy and the lives of the people who support it. – describe the expected growth in wood use over the next few years, despite the perception of wood as a “low tech” material. – determine how the characteristics of wood can result in its efficient and sustainable use. -describe how wood helps the global economy grow and how it can lead to unexpected careers.
6. Forests and transparency under the Paris Agreement
It is possible to take this course in English, French, or Spanish. This course aids in understanding the significance of data collection, analysis, and dissemination linked to forests in order to satisfy the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework criteria. The program was created in close cooperation with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as part of the FAO/GEF “Building Global Capacity to Increase Transparency in the Forest Sector (CBIT-Forest)” project (UNFCCC).
7. SDG Indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1 – Forest area and sustainable forest management
FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) course demonstrates how nations can report on and monitor their progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 – Life on Land – by collecting data. The course is available in French, English, and Spanish
You will earn a digital badge after successfully completing the English versions of the free online forestry courses, which you can use to advance your career and add to your social media profiles. These courses can be found among the nearly 350 multilingual e-learning courses offered by the FAO e-learning Academy, which also includes other courses on forests.
8. Sustainable Forest Management In A Changing World
Unlike the other free online forestry courses, this course gives an overview of the standards and benchmarks that are applied globally to direct sustainable forest management practices and explains how they will change in response to climate change. It looks at the development of sustainable forest management, especially in light of the standards for sustainable forest management that have been established internationally. Examining forest management through the prism of climate change contributes to this dialogue. The relatively long rotation times connected with the expansion of forests make this a crucial part of modern forest management.
Both advanced undergraduate students and Master’s level forest management students should take this course. Although links to sources of additional information are provided, it is assumed that all students will have a basic understanding of various fields.
9. Forest Resource Management And Protection
This course is different from the other free online forestry courses because the primary focus of this course will be on managing the critical elements that affect both the amount and quality of forest resources, including tree growth, disturbances from fire and invasive species, human management, and socioeconomic variables. The course will discuss theories and methods for yield modeling, monitoring, and inventory of forest resources. After completing this course, students will be able to:
- (1) understand the principles and practices of managing and protecting forest resources;
- (2) recognize the key elements endangering the sustainable use of forest resources;
- (3) analyze real-world issues and apply the appropriate principles of forest management in developing integrated management and protection strategies for forest resources.
Both advanced undergraduate students and Master’s level forest management students should take this course. Although links to sources of additional information are provided, it is assumed that all students will have a basic understanding of various fields.
10. Sustainable Forest Management In A Changing World
The reason why this course is distinct from free online forestry courses is that it offers an overview of the standards and benchmarks that are applied globally to direct sustainable forest management practices and explains how they will change in response to climate change. It looks at the development of sustainable forest management, especially in light of the standards for sustainable forest management that have been established internationally. Examining forest management through the prism of climate change contributes to this dialogue.
The relatively long rotation times connected with the expansion of forests make this a crucial part of modern forest management. Rotation periods range greatly: in some plantation forests in the Tropics, they may rotate every few years, but in boreal forests in North America, Europe, and Russia, they may rotate every hundred years or more.
Both advanced undergraduate students and Master’s level forest management students should take this course. Although links to sources of additional information are provided, it is assumed that all students will have a basic understanding of various fields.
11. Restoration Of Degraded Forest Ecosystems & Forest Plantation Development
This course covers the theories and methods of tree growth for the establishment of forest plantations as well as the restoration of degraded forests. The first module of the three-module course provides an overview of aspects of forest ecology that are specifically pertinent to vegetative and seed regeneration as well as ecosystem processes involved in the development of a forest. Throughout the course, an understanding of the effects of location, climate, and soil factors on forest functioning is gained. Different stages of stand growth are also presented. To understand the constraints on forest productivity, a brief overview of the carbon and nitrogen cycles in forests is provided.
The second module, which focuses on the restoration of damaged forests, opens with a worldwide overview of the background for restoration efforts across the globe, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific area. The characteristics of degraded forests are explored, along with the objectives of restoration efforts. With case studies from tropical and temperate zones, as well as success indicators for restoration, the relationship between forest restoration and climate is examined. The third module discusses plantation forest development in both theory and practice.
The module discusses plantation management, starting with the goal of the plantation and species selection, and moving on to methods for site preparation, tree implantation, and growth optimization, as well as thinning and pruning.
Course requirements
Unlike the other free online forestry courses, this course is intended for forest professionals and Bachelor’s students pursuing degrees in environmental, natural resource management, or forest science in year 3 or 4 (upper-level undergraduate or first-year postgraduate). Participants must have completed a first- or second-year university degree in plant sciences, which typically entails a first-year study of biology and chemistry. The course presupposes knowledge of plant physiology, ecology, and scientific language. The foundation for recommending management actions for forest restoration or the growth of forest plantations is a solid grasp of forest ecology. Links to sites for background reading and other information are provided to help students review important vocabulary.
What Is Forestry?
The science and art of forestry include the creation, management, planting, use, conservation, and repair of forests, woodlands, and related resources for the benefit of people and the environment. Forestry is carried out in both natural stands and plantations. Elements of the biological, physical, social, political, and management sciences can be found in the study of forestry. Forest management has a crucial impact on the provision of ecosystem services as well as the formation and change of habitats.
Read Also: Study Ecology Online
What Is The Importance Of Forest?
It is impossible to overstate the value of forests. Our ability to survive depends on forests, from the oxygen we breathe to the wood we use. Forests offer more than just a habitat for animals and a means of subsistence for people. They also protect watersheds, stop soil erosion, and lessen the effects of climate change. However, despite our reliance on trees, we continue to let them perish.
- Forrest absorbs the damaging greenhouse gas emissions that lead to climate change. One-quarter of a trillion tons of carbon are stored in above- and below-ground biomass in tropical forests alone.
- Supplying enough clean water for bathing, drinking, and other household purposes
- Preserving watersheds and minimizing or delaying the number of erosive processes and chemical inputs into rivers
- Supplying nutrition and medication
- Serve as a buffer in the event of natural calamities like floods and heavy rain
- Moreover, half of the world’s land-based species rely on it for habitat.
Why Should I study Free Online Forestry Courses?
Climate change exposed how much we have been neglecting our forests. Continuous logging has led to the depletion of our ozone layer which has greatly affected our environment. International organizations and governments are constantly looking for experts to conserve our forests. Some of the courses offered in universities are quite expensive so below are some of the reasons why you should take free online forestry courses.
- Since students can attend online courses from their homes, places of employment, or other locations of their choosing, there are fewer odds that they will miss class.
- One’s technical abilities are enhanced because a variety of tools are required for the learning process.
- Online classes assist in providing a larger, more universal view of a subject or issue.
- By reading and studying a variety of materials like PDFs, videos, podcasts, and other resources, online learning improves the productivity of the student
- As long as there is an internet connection and the course plan is active, online learning is available whenever and wherever.
- The cost of online education is less than what would have been required for travel, lodging, etc.
See Also: Free Online Zoology Courses
Benefits of Free Online Forestry Courses
The benefits of taking free online forestry courses cannot be over-emphasized. There are so many international organizations that are always on the lookout for individuals with cutting-edge skills to continue protecting our forests and their diversity. Below are some organizations you can work with after completing these courses.
- Biological Resources (e.g. forestry, mining, energy, parks and other land management, fisheries, aquatic and terrestrial management)
- Engineering (e.g. infrastructure, mining, energy) (e.g. infrastructure, mining, energy)
City planners - NGOs (e.g. conservation, heritage, cultural, preservation, and environmental groups)
- Industry: Various organizations from various sectors are expected to report on environmental, social, and governance issues (ESGs), which include carbon-related knowledge and practices, as well as climate-related financial accounting (TCFD reporting).
- Federal, provincial, and local government departments.
Conclusion
We have handpicked the best free online forestry courses but there are a lot more courses out there and you can always do more research and take the courses that suit your time and career path. Good Luck!