General Course Information and Requirements (PDF)

Course Description:Insects in Forest Ecosystem Function and ManagementENTOM/FWE 500Fall 2013Kenneth F. Raffa345 Russell Laboratories, 262-1125, raffa@entomology.wisc.eduThe objective of this course is to provide students with a biological basis for recognizing,diagnosing, and managing insects affecting multiple uses of forest resources. This coursedescribes the roles insects play in natural ecosystem processes such as gap formation, nutrientcycling, and succession, as well as the challenges these biotic stress agents pose to sustainablemanagement. These challenges include tradeoffs among multiple values, economic andenvironmental consequences of various pest management approaches, and natural resourceissues such as biological invasions. The general principles of entomology and pest managementare introduced, followed by descriptions of the specific insects involved.What you will be able to do after completing this course:1. Know the major insects affecting forest resources, and their biology’s;2. Understand the roles of insects in basic ecosystem processes and biodiversity;3. Be able to recognize these agents, and the various signs & symptoms that signify theirpresence;4. Be equipped with management options;GradingTwo midterm exams and one final exam each constitute 30% of your grade. Participationconstitutes an additional 10%.Prior exams are available at my lab web page: http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/raffa/These exams should give you a useful guide as to the types of questions I ask, and to theapproximate level of detail with which I have approached this subject matter in prior years.On-Line ResourcesAll lecture outlines and Power Point Presentations are online at Learn@UW. Please note thatthese serve different functions, so you should bring both to each class. Also note that thesematerials are intended to facilitate your note taking and to illustrate the points I am making inlecture, but they are no substitute.Course syllabus and overview are at Learn@UW. Readings are also at Learn@UW.Special ConsiderationsIf anyone has any special circumstances that require my attention, please let me know and I willdo my best to accommodate them.

I have no objection to your recording lectures. If you feel that will help you learn the material,feel free to do so.Contacting MeThe best way to reach me is by email. I’ll likely reply by setting up a time when we can visit, as Ifeel face to face meetings are more conducive than email exchanges to understanding thismaterial.