ENV701. Forest Measurements
“The Romans taught their children nothing that was to be learned sitting.” – Seneca
Tree Identification in the Duke Forest with Forest Measurement students (Fall 2013)
Course Description
This course aims to familiarize students with the field and analytic measurement skills expected of professionals in forest ecosystem management. In this course, we consider techniques for measuring forest characteristics at three different scales: individual plant, forest stand, and landscape. These techniques require the use of traditional forestry instruments (e.g., clinometers, diameter tapes) and contemporary equipment. This course heavily emphasizes field activities and quantitative skills. Prereq: Dendrology (past or concurrent) and/or instructor consent.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Use field measurement tools, e.g., DBH tape, basal area prisms, and increment borers;
- Practice sampling, statistical, and measurement techniques used in forest management;
- Understand the benefits and disadvantages of various sampling techniques;
- Apply forest measurement techniques in the field; and
- Identify the environmental, social, and economic effects of forest management practices.
About the Instructor.
Dr. Nicolette L. Cagle is a Senior Lecturer at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, where she has taught a range of courses in forestry, ecology, and environmental education. She holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from Duke University and a B.S. in Environmental Science and Natural Resources from the University of Illinois, where she was awarded the Forestry Faculty Merit Award in 2002.
Dr. Cagle’s expertise in forest measurements is rooted in over two decades of diverse fieldwork spanning forests across the world. She first trained in arboriculture and urban forestry while preparing for a national competition in the late 1990s. She has since conducted forest assessments and participated in practicums in ecosystems ranging from the Duke Forest—where she contributed to long-term plot monitoring over 20 years ago—to the boreal forests of Canada, the tropical forests of Gabon, and the fire-prone landscapes of southwestern Montana. Her field experience also includes studies of community-based forest management in indigenous villages in Oaxaca, Mexico, and research on seedling growth and pest impacts in multiple forest ecosystems.
A recognized leader in forestry education, Dr. Cagle was a Duke Trillium Fellow in 2016, where she explored the integration of sustainability concepts into forest measurements. She has trained specifically in the pedagogy of forest measurements at the Biltmore Estate and she has received multiple awards for her teaching excellence, including the Duke Forest Clarence F. Korstian Award in 2015 and the Lynn Maguire Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring of Professional Students in 2024, the latter calling out her outstanding instruction in ENV 701: Forest Measurements.
Beyond forest measurements, Dr. Cagle has expertise in a wide range of ecological and forestry subfields, including landscape ecology, wildlife surveys, and environmental education. Her dedication to interdisciplinary and experiential learning ensures that students in her course gain both theoretical knowledge and hands-on proficiency in forest measurement techniques, preparing them for myriad careers in forest ecosystem management.