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Online Micro-Certificate: Forest Management Planning

The Faculty of Forestry’s Forest Management Planning Micro-Certificate is a flexible 8-week online program that provides professionals with foundational knowledge of core forest management planning concepts, tools, and skills to assess and compare forest management options and their impacts on a range of forest ecosystem services, as well as how to develop forest management plans.

What is the Forest Management Planning Micro-Certificate?

This integrative program consolidates and applies existing forestry knowledge to integrate concepts from multiple sub-disciplines to make projections about the development of forest ecosystems and the values or services they provide, reflect on how to balance multiple (and often conflicting) objectives, evaluate different forest management options, prescribe solutions for achieving specific forest management goals at multiple scales, develop and critically analyze forest management plans. The focus of the program lies on forest management and planning in general, which are illustrated with specific case studies from British Columbia, Canada.

Why choose the Forest Management Planning Micro-Certificate?

Forest management planning (FMP) concepts and tools are at the core of sustainable forest management, both globally and locally. Participants will learn to identify and describe core topics and concepts in forest management planning, explain the history of forest management planning, and its European roots, identify and assess the complex relationships between the characteristics of a forest (structure, composition…) and the values it provides, and how management affects them.

What will you learn?

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Identify and describe core topics and concepts in forest management planning.
• Explain the history of forest management planning, and its European roots.
• Identify and assess the complex relationships between the characteristics of a forest (structure, composition…) and the values it provides, and how management affects them.
• Apply basic mathematical concepts for calculating sustained yields.
• Define key objectives for managing a forest.
• Identify indicators related to those objectives and determine realistic target values for them.
• Analyze and interpret trade-offs between various management objectives.
• Critically evaluate and discuss various alternative forest management approaches for a single forest.
• Connect concepts from various sub-disciplines of forestry to critically analyze existing forest management plans, as well as develop new plans.

Applicable Certification Standards

The program meets the following certification standards:

• Standard 6: Information Acquisition and Analysis
  • 6.3 Analyze and interpret forest resource data.
• Standard 7: Planning and Administration
  • 7.2 Identify societal factors, governance and regulation in your work.
  • 7.3 Employ resource planning principles
• Standard 8A: Forest Management (FORM)
  • 8A.1 Discuss the forest management process, and its requirements and levels.
  • 8A.2 Design stand and forest-level plans.
• Standard 8D: Forest Operations (FOPR)
  • 8D.2 Discuss purpose and components of forest planning.

Who should apply?

This micro-certificate will be of interest to those who are working towards becoming professional foresters, as well as professionals in the private, public or non-profit sector whose job involves working with the planning of forested landscapes, natural resources and sustainable forest management. Program participants should have a background in forestry, with at least 2 years of University education or equivalent experience.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates of this program may find employment opportunities in:

• Government (managers, planners, and policy analysts)
• Forest industry—with a focus on continued professional development through RPF associations
• Community forests’ technicians, planners, managers
• Private sector—forestry consultants
• Non-governmental organizations (Ducks Unlimited, environmental education groups, and communication agencies, etc.)

Program Details

Duration

The program is 8 weeks long.

Location

The program is online.

Commitment

The program requires a commitment of 7-8 hours per week.

Completion Requirements

Participants must complete all courses to receive the micro-certificate.

Start date

The program starts on February 2, 2026.

Price

The full certificate costs $2400, while individual courses cost $650.

Funding

The program is applicable for the StrongerBC future skills grant, which covers up to $3,500 per person for eligible short-term skills training at public post-secondary institutions. Funding is limited and will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis.