BSc (Hons) Forest Management with Integrated Foundation Year

Program Overview

BSc (Hons) Forest Management with Integrated Foundation Year

Overview

The BSc (Hons) Forest Management with Integrated Foundation Year is a four-year undergraduate degree program that combines a foundation year with a comprehensive education in forest management. The program is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience necessary to succeed in the forestry sector.

Course Structure

The program consists of four years of study, with the first year being a foundation year that provides students with a broad introduction to forestry and conservation. The subsequent three years focus on the management of woodlands and forests for commercial, recreation, and conservation objectives.

Year One

• Essential University Skills 1: Develops academic and professional skills required for effective learning and successful progression through the chosen honours degree program.
• Essential Biology: Develops knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of biology essential to further study in the chosen field.
• Scientific Investigation: Explores the protocols associated with scientific investigation.
• Essential University Skills 2: Expands learning in the areas of research, writing structure, and reflective learning.
• Environmental Sciences: Introduces field-based skills akin to the natural sciences with interdisciplinary content that relates Human Ecology to Toxicology, Public Health, Epidemiology, and Parasitology.
• Dynamic Earth: Studies applied aspects of geology, geomorphology, climatology, hydrology, and soils within the context of the area of interest.

Year Two

• Introduction to Managing Trees, Woods, and Forests: Provides students with a basic understanding of the history of forestry in the UK and worldwide, the underlying principles of soil and plant science, and an overview of current practice of sustainable forest management.
• Measuring Trees and Forests: Teaches students to apply the standard methods of tree and woodland measurement used in British forestry.
• Silviculture: Aims to give a grounding in silvicultural practice, including a thorough and applied understanding of plantation, conservation, and amenity woodland establishment and maintenance.
• Woodland Ecology: Provides a broad introduction to ecology and ecological processes, examining how British Romanticism inspired by the English Lake District landscape contributed to the start of the conservation movement alongside developments in the USA.
• Wood Utilisation and Processing: Covers the biology of wood and how the properties of wood relate to their potential utilisation.
• Forestry Fundamentals: Enables students to learn the key writing and presentation skills necessary to succeed in their studies and future career.
• Practical Forest Skills: Introduces students to a range of traditional and modern practical forestry skills, with an emphasis on the planning and organisation of working sites.

Year Three

• Geographic Information Systems: Provides students with a sound understanding of the theory and application of GIS in a manner relevant to their field of study and potential future employment.
• Research Methods and Data Analysis: Guides students in developing their ability to evaluate a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods and the appropriate application required to measure, describe, and discuss environmental and ecological systems.
• Managing Forest Operations: Takes students through the principles of good planning, the financial, legal, and regulatory frameworks within which they will have to operate, and the tools and skills required to implement and manage forest operations.
• Forest Policy and Governance: Develops the knowledge and skills required to manage modern, sustainable, multipurpose forestry within the constraints of national and international legislative and policy frameworks.
• Forest Health and Protection: Enables students to identify, understand, and manage the main biotic (pests and pathogens) and abiotic (nutrient and climate) factors that adversely affect trees and forests.
• People & Forests: Examines the role of forests and woodlands in both rural and urban environments, providing spaces for mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Year Four

• Forest Plan: Provides opportunity for students to engage in a systematic and integrated approach to objective-led forest management planning in accordance with the principles and criteria of sustainable forest management.
• Dissertation: Enables students to develop objectives for a self-selected business, evaluate in a structured way the impacts upon a business, and plan the resources required.
• Advanced Silviculture: Develops further understanding of silvicultural practices and their role in ensuring the productive and sustainable management of forests across a range of objectives in both temperate and tropical regions.
• Business Skills: Develops objectives for a self-selected business, evaluates in a structured way the impacts upon a business, and plans the resources required.
• Woodland Conservation (Optional): Compares the concept of conservation to those of ecology and sustainability, examining how British Romanticism inspired by the English Lake District landscape contributed to the start of the conservation movement alongside developments in the USA.
• Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing (Optional): Provides students with the skills and knowledge to plan and implement projects using GIS and remote sensing to solve issues in the fields of conservation and natural resources management.
• Climate Smart Forestry (Optional): Provides an overview of the causes and impacts of anthropogenic climate change, the adaptation strategies necessary, and mitigation options available, enabling forest managers to critically evaluate the potential measures they could undertake to enable commercial plantations.

Teaching & Assessment

The program is delivered by research-active academics, some of whom have recent woodland management experience. The course includes lectures, laboratory practicals, computer sessions, and fieldwork in the ancient semi-natural woodlands and commercial forest plantations around the Ambleside Campus.

Assessments include:

• Creating fieldwork and laboratory reports, particularly making use of primary field notebooks
• Writing essays or reports
• Critically analysing 'real-life' case studies
• Role-play to simulate real-world situations in the field and classroom

Entry Requirements

• 48 UCAS Tariff Points
• GCSE Mathematics at grade 4/C or above

Qualifications

• A-levels: A
• T-levels: P (D or E)
• Access to HE: 45 Credits at a Pass
• CACHE Technical Level 3 and Level 3 Extended Diploma: D
• OCR Cambridge Technical & Edexcel/Pearson BTEC Level 3 (National) Extended Diploma: PPP
• Scottish Highers: 48 UCAS Tariff Points
• Irish LC Highers: 48 UCAS Tariff Points

Fees & Funding

• Tuition Fees (2025-2026):
  • £9,535 - UK
  • £14,900 - International
• Additional Costs:
  • Books and Journals: £50 - £100 per year
  • Stationery: £30 - £40 per year
  • Clothing and Equipment: Sturdy boots and full waterproof clothing recommended

Location

• Ambleside Campus: Nestled in the Lake District National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Carlisle - Fusehill Street Campus: A historic campus with access to high-quality facilities and innovative thinking.