Bachelor Plus 2014/2015 Tobias Stubenazy

B.Sc.-Study "Waldwirtschaft und Umwelt-ProFI"

(Profilbildung durch Forstwissenschaftliche Internationalisierung)

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Tobias Stubenazy

Final Report

My name is Tobias Stubenazy, I’m in the fifth semester of “Forestry and Environmental

Science”, at the University of Freiburg. The fall and winter Term 2014/2015 I stayed at the

University of Alberta.

The following abstract gives an overview about necessary preparations for a Bachelor Plus

year at the University of Alberta, Canada.

Content

1. Preparations in Germany .............................................................................................. 2

a. Application ............................................................................................................... 2

b. Visa ........................................................................................................................... 2

c. Flight ......................................................................................................................... 2

d. Accomodation .......................................................................................................... 2

2. Preperations in Edmonton, Canada .............................................................................. 2

a. Bank account .............................................................................................................. 2

b. Health care insurance ................................................................................................. 2

c. Mobil Phone ................................................................................................................ 2

d. One Card ..................................................................................................................... 3

e. International Service ................................................................................................... 3

3. Study .............................................................................................................................. 3

a. Fall Term ................................................................................................................... 3

b. Winter Term ............................................................................................................. 3

4. Evaluation ...................................................................................................................... 4

5. Appendix ........................................................................................................................ 5

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Tobias Stubenazy

1. Preparations in Germany

To ensure a good stay in Edmonton it is important to do a few things before leaving Germany.

a. Application

The Bachelor Plus program starts with the application at the University of Alberta. Therefore

you get help from Mrs. Stadler (University of Freiburg) and Mr. Drummond (University of

Alberta).

b. Visa

To get the visa for Canada you create an internet account at the Government of Canada web

page. Once you have this account you can upload the necessary documents. Therefore you

have a large time frame. Afterwards you can send the documents to the immigration office. I

applied for study and work permit and got both at the airport in Edmonton.

c. Flight

I booked a flight from Frankfurt airport via Reykjavik, Iceland to Edmonton. The process to find

and book the flight is easily possible.

d. Accommodation

The decision to live on or off campus has a big influence of the experience you gain. The pros

to live on-campus are the stringer sense of community, the fact that it is easy to make

connections with people, the short distance to the faculty buildings, a meal plan so you can

spend more time in your academic process. Regarding my academic success, I figured out the

best for me is to live on campus. The decision to live on or off- campus really depends on the

individual preferences.

2. Preparations in Edmonton

To be best prepared it is good to arrive a few days (7 -10 days) before classes start. In this time

you can get familiar with the new situation, figure out where to stay etc.

a. Bank account

To call a spade a spade living outside from Germany it is recommendable to have a Visa or

MasterCard. Furthermore, it is easily possible to open a Canadian bank account.

b. Health care Insurance

The University of Alberta has got a mandatory health care insurance for international

students. For a stay less than twelve months you have to pay for it.

c. Mobil phone

Everywhere on the campus is free accessible wireless LAN you can use with a smartphone or

notebook. Via skype it is easy to stay in contact with family and friends.

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Tobias Stubenazy

d. One Card

The One Card of the University of Alberta is a debit card for the meal plan, bus ticket and the

check- in to the residence etc.

e. International Service

The International Service of the University of Alberta is located in the HUB mall. There work a

lot of volunteers who are open-minded and willing to help.

3. Study

a. Fall Term

In my first term I took three graded courses: Introduction into forestry: in particular boreal trees, boreal forest plants, boreal forest ecology and boreal forest land use planning. Moreover relationships among recreation, water, wildlife, range and timber for forest management policies and practices in Alberta and Canada were discussed. Silviculture: focused on approaches for regenerating and manipulating stands to create various types of forests and products and for providing a range of ecosystem services and/or trees for harvesting. Topics were terminology, major concepts, and underlying processes that influence selection and use of effective silviculture treatments in western Canadian forests (focused on Alberta and British Columbia). Forest Operations: dealt with harvesting and transportation methods and technologies applied to wood-harvesting operations. It provided knowledge of current technologies used to conduct forest operations. Protected Areas Planning and Management (Audit): I took this additional class without benefit of a grade. My purpose was self-enrichment in terms of gaining principles and practices of planning and management of protected areas. The class covered national and provincial parks and forest recreational systems as well as wilderness management.

b. Winter Term My classes for the winter term: Forest Fire Management: since I have been in an auxiliary fire brigade over four years in my hometown Kaiserslautern, this course provided further interesting insights into the history of fire management, combustion processes, fire behavior and ecology, fire danger rating and prescribed burning. Consequently, this class allowed me to integrate fire in forest management plans and actions. Fisheries and Wildlife Management: examined concepts relevant to both fisheries and wildlife ecology. Moreover, the class provided tools and techniques to manage populations and helped me to solve practical problems of wildlife managers with structured decision making processes. Topics in Renewable Resources: supervised by Prof. Phil Comeau I was able to write an individual study in silviculture about tree species selection and silvicultural methods under climate change focused on Alberta. Therefore I examined future weather patterns and climate

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Tobias Stubenazy

scenarios to evaluate tree species, provenances and stabilizing treatments. Regarding long-term success, I identified personal relations between regional foresters and “their” forest (regional knowledge) as well as computer modelling as options to ensure the reduction of uncertainties and lack of knowledge (exemplary results). Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity (Audit): I got the chance to explore animals in the context of conservation, interactions with people, and roles in natural ecosystems. As part of the class, I joined a lab to recognize higher taxa while studying hierarchical classification concerning both vertebrate and invertebrate. Conservation Planning (Audit): Guiding decisions about the location, configuration and management of conservation areas. Main topics were the identification of conservation features, the collection of data and identifying information gaps, establishment of targets (goals), assessment of existing reserves (GAP analysis), evaluation the ability of target to persist (PVA), assemble portfolio of conservation units and the prioritizing of conservation areas.

4. Evaluation Alberta still provides natural refugees in large-scale (e.g. Canadian Rocky Mountains or Wood Buffalo National Park) and thereby a plenty of hikes, wildlife and natural exploration. Although, Alberta is also known for the Athabasca Oil Sands, source of oil, economic growth, and environmental concern. One of the best places to get informed about current debates and policies is the Legislature Building in Edmonton. I can highly recommend a tour with following attendance of the full session to get a better understanding of Alberta itself. The Royal Alberta Museum, the Edmonton Valley Zoo and the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium are good places in Edmonton to make unique experiences. Edmonton’s River valley is characterized through natural ecology. Lovely country tracks conducive to walking and discovering the natural beauty of the region. The sheer number of parks, gardens and outdoor recreation spots are good places to find a social balance to reach academic success at the University of Alberta. The Bachelor Plus program is a unique chance for forestry students to broaden their horizon. In both terms I gained new environmental, ecological, social and economic viewpoints. I had insights into common silvicultural methods in western Canada, learned new wildlife management tools and in summa a fundamental knowledge of forestry and conservation. In many ways teaching, topics and dimensions are different. These aspects make classes interesting and I always wanted to study new things. It was a great pleasure for me to participate in this program and I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in forestry and conservation.

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Tobias Stubenazy

5. Appendix

Prof. Phil Comeau is

explaining soil

characteristics of the

boreal forest.

Determination the forest

regeneration of young

managed stands relative

to future conditions.

Reforestation in Alberta

has been a requirement

since decades

(Reforestation Standard

of Alberta), to ensure

sustained yield

management.

On the foreground of the

left pictures we can see

planted white spruce

(Picea glauca) and

natural regenerated

quaking aspen (Populus

tremuloides), through

root suckering, in the

background.

An essential part of

boreal forest ecosystems

and management are

wildfires and forest fires

(prescribed burning).

Me and in the

background a climax

community of

Alberta’s boreal

forest. Old-growth

features are heavily

influenced through

natural dynamics.

A “Methuselah tree”

(Pseudotsuga

menziesii var.

menziesii) in the

entrance of the

University of Alberta’s

forest faculty. The

estimated age is 900

years. This section

was taken from a

point about 7 metres

up the trunk. In

Alberta, Douglas-fire

are found in the

south-west portion of

the province. It is

named after David

Douglas, the 19th

century Scottish

botanist.

In 2015 the forest

faculty celebrated

100-year anniversary.

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Tobias Stubenazy

72nd Forest Industry

Lecture with Dr. Christian

Messier and his lecture:

“From management to

stewardship, viewing

forests as complex

adaptive system in an

uncertain world”.

OilSands Student

Delegation, University of

Alberta

After mining or in situ

production is complete,

all disturbed land has to

be returned to an

“equivalent land

capability”.

In the background of the

left picture we can see

the Oil Sand industry with

smoking chimneys and in

the foreground the try to

reclaim land with planted

white spruce (Picea

glauca).

My friend Lihan from

China and me on an old

platform during a trip to

Fort McMurray.

Beavers are Canada’s

national symbol, but they

are also a good symbol of

the environmental needs

of wildlife. Beavers

require flowing water to

dam, lots of building

material and plenty of

food located close to the

pond.

Order of piciformes on

the both left pictures. In

night class and lab I

studied to recognize

higher taxa and

hierarchical classification

of both vertebrates and

invertebrates. Our

professor John Acorn was

well known from the

television series “Acorn,

the Nature Nut” and still

has a great vogue in the

natural history.

The Royal Alberta

Museum provides a good

conspectus of wildlife,

natural history and

aboriginal culture. It is a

nice place to study and

explore. It had free

entrance for forestry,

biology and conservation

students.

Birds have long been

appreciated for their

aesthetic qualities, and

mounted birds have been

appreciated and

displayed in homes for

centuries. The picture on

the left shows a mixture

of historic display

techniques using birds.

Me in front of Lake

Louise, also named Lake

of the Little Fishes within

Banff National Park in

Alberta.

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Tobias Stubenazy

(Original: “Alle Theorie ist grau und nur der Wald und die Erfahrung sind grün”, Friedrich W.

L. Pfeil, 1846, Kritische Blätter für Forst- und Jagdwissenschaft, Band 22, Heft 1)

http://books.google.de/books?id=esUCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA11&dq=Theorie, viewed April, 26

2015).

“All theory is gray, and solely the forest and epeerienee are green