Graded Assignments

Final Group Project: Developing a Forest Resource Management Strategy Incorporating Model Projections for a Future Climate (25%)

Description

The group project is to develop an adaptive forest resource management strategy based on climatic and ecological niche model projections for a future climate (2050s) using a forest tree species or a forest type as an example. The group is required to: 1) assess the impact of climate change to the tree species or forest type; 2) identify the areas requiring assistant migration and species introduction; 3) identify areas necessary for in-situ and ex-situ conservation; and 4) recommend adaptive management strategies.

Directions/Requirements

Procedures

In Week 11, the project grouping will happen. Each group will have 3-5 students and the number of groups will depends on the total number of students in the class.
Students are encouraged to form their own groups. For those not find their groups will be assigned to existing groups or to new groups by Instructor by Day 1 of Week 12.
Each group will need to have a group leader to coordinate among group members and to report to Instructor.
Issues that cannot be solved within a group may ask for help from TA or Instructor.
Students will be reminded to submit their work by Day 7 of week 14.
By 23:59pm on Day 7 of Week 14, the group leader would need to represent the group to submit the group work in the ‘Final Group Work’ dropbox under ‘Assignments’ > ‘Final Group Project’.
Within 2 days after the group work is submitted, i.e., by 23.59pm on Day 2 of Week 15, each group member would need to conduct peer evaluation to each of the group members anonymously based on their contribution and participation.

Requirements

The following steps are required to complete the group project:

Identify a forest tree species or a forest ecotype;
Generate (or adopt from web-based ClimateNA/AP) maps for MAT (mean annual temperature) and MAP (mean annual precipitation) for the current and the future periods;
Build your own or adopt (download) niche model projections (in raster format) from the web-based ClimateNA/AP for the species or the forest type;
Overlay the future projection onto the current one;
Define (by drawing) the areas with priority for assistant migration, species introduction, in-situ and ex-situ conservation;
Formulate an adaptive forest resource management strategy for the species or forest type in context of climate change. Based on the information obtained from the above steps, the group is required to describe: 1) the issues about the impact of climate change on the species or forest type; 2) the roles of climate modelling to deal with the issues; 3) model projections; 4) the use of model projections; and 5) recommendations.

Submission

The assignment needs to be submitted in Excel format through Canvas assignment dropbox by 23:59pm on Day 7 of Week 14. See Course Schedule for specific due date. The group leader would need to represent your group to submit your group work in the ‘Final Group Work’ dropbox under ‘Assignments > Final Group Project’ by the due date.

Grading

This assignment comprises 25% of your final grade with a maximum of 25 points possible. The grading will be based on the completion of the steps listed above and evaluated based on rubric listed in the following table. Each group member will provide an evaluation (1-100%) to each of the group members anonymously based on their contribution and participation. The average of the evaluation for each group member will be used to weight the total points for the group member’s work. For example, if the group work gets 25 points and a group member gets an average within-group evaluation of 90%, then this group member would get 25 x 90% = 22.5 points.

Grading rubric for the final group project:

FODE 010_grading-rubric-for-final-group-project.pdf

FODE010