Understanding Our Forests: Benefits, Threats, and Challenges

Steve Smith
Summer 2025
Tuesday |  
3 PM - 5 PM
June 3, 10, 17, 24, and July 1, 2025
Course Format: Hybrid
Location: Main Campus
Tuition: $165

Forests represent some of the planet’s most vital ecosystems, covering substantial areas and significantly influencing human society and the global economy. However, human activities, especially climate change, are profoundly reshaping forest structures and functions. In this course, we will explore the diverse types of Earth’s forests and woodlands, uncovering their exceptional characteristics. We’ll examine the complex relationship between forests and humanity, discussing critical topics such as fire dynamics, carbon storage, deforestation, wood production, biodiversity, recreation, health benefits, and water quality.

Dynamic lectures and demonstrations will enrich our learning experience, fostering an interactive environment that encourages discussion. Your inquiries will guide our exploration, promoting a collaborative atmosphere. Join us to enhance your appreciation for forests and their essential role in our world!

Required Reading

No textbook is required. All readings will be distributed to students electronically.

Recommended Reading
  • Lewis, Daniel. 2024. Twelve Trees. The Deep Roots of Our Future. Simon & Schuster.
  • Manning, William J. 2020. Trees and Global Warming: The Role of Forests in Cooling and Warming the Atmosphere. Cambridge Univ. Press.
  • Mapes, Lynda V. 2019. Witness Tree: Seasons of Change with a Century-Old Oak. Bloomsbury.
  • Perlin, John. 2005. A Forest Journey: The Story of Wood and Civilization.
  • Pyne, Stephen J. 2019. Fire. A brief history. 2nd Ed. Univ. Washington Press.
  • Pyne, Stephen J. 2020. To the Last Smoke. An Anthology. Univ. Arizona Press.
  • Seymour, Francis and Jonah Busch. 2016. Why Forests? Why Now? The Science, Economics, and Politics of Tropical Forests and Climate Change. Center for Global Development.
  • Simard, Suzanne. 2021. Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. Penguin Random House.
  • Wohlleben, Peter. 2023. The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us if We Let Them. Greystone Books.

Meet Your Instructor

Associate Professor

STEVE SMITH is an Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona, where he has served since 1984. Raised in California’s Central Valley, he began working with plants alongside his father, a commercial plant breeder. He holds a B.S. from UC Davis and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell in Plant Breeding and Botany, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His work spans applied plant improvement, adaptation in arid ecosystems, and research design. He teaches courses in biology, field botany, and sustainability, and has received both the Bart Cardon Sustained Excellence in Teaching Award and HSP’s Ted and Shirley Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award.

Location

POETRY CENTER
Dorothy Rubel Room
1508 E Helen
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States

Located on the SE corner of Helen Street and Vine Avenue, one block north of Speedway and three blocks west of Campbell Ave.

Street map image of Poetry Center

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