Certificate of Plantation Forestry

The aim of the course is to produce graduates with a broad knowledge of both the biological and social environments and who understand the way in which forests are managed in the Solomon Islands; graduates skilled enough to help manage natural resources in a sustainable way; graduates who can initiate capacity building activities in forestry management, drive nature conservation efforts by devising appropriate training programmes or activities for organizations. Multi-sectoral setups NGOs, rural communities and other esteemed stakeholders in the Solomon Islands; graduate with the motivation and self-discipline necessary to do the hard work of forest stewardship in the Solomon Islands.

Admission Requirements


The minimum entry requirement for the Certificate of Plantation Forestry programme is the successful completion of Form 5 with B and A passes in Science, Math and in most of the subjects tested in the SISC; a good aptitude in outdoor work; leadership qualities and interest in living in rural areas. OR completed Form 6 in with 4 to 6 grades (PSSC) in Science, Math and Environmental subjects; interest in outdoor work.ย  Or Form 7, genuine interest in Forestry. Or mature Forestry Extension Officer working in the field as Forestry direct employees with no formal forestry training but with a minimum field experience of 3-5 years. The candidate must also have had basic education up to Form 3 or equivalent. Or NGO Forestry Extension officer; private forest product company employees may also be legible, provided the candidate has had 3-5 years minimum of field experience in forestry related activities with basic education up to Form 3 or above.

 

Course Structure


Course Code:CPF
Course Name: Certificate of Plantation Forestry
Duration: 1 year
Core Units: 12 Units
Total Credit Points: 120
Campus: Kukum

Unit CodeUnit TitleSemester OfferedCredit Points
CF 410Applied Mathematics110
This unit provides trained forestry students with the opportunity to improve on their mathematical knowledge so that they can perform the tasks expected of them in the forestry sector, in particular: the interpreting of given data, solving of mathematically related problems in forestry operations, dealing with perimeters and areas as well as calculating timber requirements and stock volumes.
CF 411Occupational Health & Safety110
This unit focuses on occupational health and safety policy acts, standards, hazards and instructions in the workplace; it looks at forest industries workplace procedures, factors that could improve environmental performance procedures with regard to chemical handling and contamination prevention, protecting and maintaining clean and healthy water sources within a forest setup and understand how to read and keep records of environmental health related issues. Occupational Health & Safety hazard rules, regulation and procedures and moreover attending to emergencies are important components of this unit.
CF 412Forest Utilization110
This unit looks at environmental problems caused by uncontrolled logging; ways of minimizing or controlling such problems; procedures for tree felling, de-limbing using axes or chainsaws; safety procedures.
The unit also looks at marking of a felled tree or log for bucking, allowing for defects and trimming, harvesting equipment and the function of equipment such as a Chainsaw, Jinkers, and other logging machines.
This unit covers further: annual logging plan, the content of the code of Logging Practice (COLP) and its use in the Solomon Islands, the Forest Resources and Timber Utilization Act (FRTU Act) especially the legal aspects of Chapter 40; the National Forest Policy statement for the Solomon Islands with reference to the Forest Resources and Timber Utilization Act; Logging license procedures; the Standard Logging Agreement (SLA) and the Code of Logging Practice (COLP); audit assessments of operations of logging companies; the Solomon Islands Log scaling and grading rules.
Other areas of focus include: recognition of the important forest products and their end-users obtained from SI forests (domestic and Industrial); the process of formation during tree growth; ability to label the cross-section of a tree stem; understanding of the main physical properties of wood affecting its utilization with reference to use of SI Timber Booklets to obtain wood property specifications for a given species; the main components and layout of a typical sawmill from log ramp to drying yard; recognition of the types of saws in a mill such as Circular/Brand/Frame; use log volume input and board production figures to calculate mill recovery as a percentage and be able to give instruction for the correct method of seasoning timber in the open air.
CF 510Communication & Study Skills110
Communication Skills is designed on the premise that improving communication involves raising studentsโ€™ awareness about their own communication ability and building on these to help them cope with their University level of academic work. The medium of instruction in all schools across the University is English; therefore, all resources and activities are in English with emphasis on communication in the context of courses offered through the SNRAS. There will be lecturers on a range of topics, discussions, in and out of class tasks, guest speakers, role plays, group work/projects, audio visuals, etc., which will be provided in the course guide. The guide is not prescriptive. However, the graduate attributes for the Certificate are essential and must be achieved. Teachers can exercise their own professional judgment based on the needs and abilities of the group. The methodology will be student centered, activity based and affirming. While the focus on communication 1 and 2 are different with the latter focusing on workplace related needs and requirements, the acquisition of good communication skills is an aim which is central to both.
CF 511Geology & Soils110
This unit focuses on understanding of earthย’s internal structures; rock formation, principal rock types and compositions, earthquakes, faults and tectonic plate movements.ย  Different soil classes and types are studies. The recognition of soil suitability for different forest plantation species, soil formation and profile, water cycle and rainfall patterns of Solomon Islands.
CF 512Forest Ecology110
This unit concentrates on topics such as the development and functions of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit and seed of plants with emphasis on plantation forest species. Part of its emphasis will be on the physiological processes of photosynthesis, respiration, translocation and uptake and movement of water within a plant. The unit looks also at the main ecological characteristics of tropical rain-forests and compared against others; the causes of disturbance in natural and plantation forest; effects of this disturbance; forest regeneration (i.e. succession) and the ecology of a selected tree species in the natural and plantation forest.
CF 520Roading & Building210
Road planning and construction are two most important components of this unit. It looks at the first components of roading with the basic understanding of how to assess the locations for a new forest road with the procedures of alignment and construction, types and tools or equipment to be used for alignment and for fixing of gradient and finally the planning and maintenance operations.
The second sectored part which is the building components looks at the supervisorโ€™s role in supervising minor construction projects with the likes of building and plumbing component, understand and be able to identify and estimate the cost of materials for an infra-structure/ building plan and their maintenance.

The units conclude with some basic knowledge in forest road construction and maintenance, minor plumbing and house building systems.
CF 521Forest Inventory210
This unit looks at the basic concepts of the classification & naming of plants according to its type and class (gymnosperm & angiosperm); the morphological features of a plant specimen; standardized terminology used in plant classification and naming, the Latin, local or trade names of a range of selected plant species both native and exotic; herbarium knowledge and related skills. The unit concludes with the structure and altitude of a forest in Solomon Islands for whatever forest type it fits into.
CF 522Silviculture210
This unit provides trained forestry students with a framework to learn the basic concept of what is silviculture and its place in forestry, the foundation of silviculture, the tropical rainforest distribution, the plantation and seed technology, the overview and why there is a need for plantation forest in Solomon Islands, forest tree seed technology, the forest nursery protocols and health protection of plants which includes the establishment of forest nursery and how to raise a plantation species, and the development operations with regards to site and species matching and plantation site preparation operations.The second part of the course will introduce to students the protocols and why there is a need for tending, pruning and thinning operations, forest measurements, control system for forest operations, the need for forestry tool calibrations, The unit concludes with what are forestry extension and its services, land-use planning, marketing and the importance of forest plantation management.
CF 523Survey & Map Reading210
This unit provides trained forestry students with a framework to learn the basic of how to use correctly and maintain properly all survey instruments used within the forest industries, run a compass survey to map an area of land, compile accurately and neatly a field survey book during survey work, using the available plotting instruments, plot a traverse on a map, recognize and rectify errors, calculate area from a map using dot grid, counting of dots, number of meter per dot, and how to use Vernier scale.
The second sectored part introduces students to the basic introduction to GPS, its system and application.
The unit concludes with the importance of surveying in forestry as a pre-requisite operation before any field establishment is carried out.
CF 524Agroforestry210
This unit provides trained forestry students with a framework to learn the basic significance, the concepts, the potential value to the rural communities and the agronomic considerations underling sustainable systems of agro-forestry in the region. This is an integrated land use of Agricultural crops and Forestry crops. This is to give the under-standing of the definitions and the major concepts relating to ย‘traditionalย’ and ย‘modernย’ agroforestry systems. There is a need for the understanding of the concepts and practices relating to the (productive and protective) role of agroforestry in the region. The scope for efficient and sustainable supply of forest products in agroforestry systems, to understand the bases of crop and soil management practices in agro-forestry systems, how best to integrate livestock into agro-forestry systems in order to sustain production. The unit concludes with the socio-economic influence on agro-forestry systems and vice versa and the nature of Forestry Extension.
CF 525Management & Supervision210
This unit provides the basic concepts of the role and importance of administration in forestry, the differences between public and private administration at all sectors, basic budgeting, organizational structures, proper method of correspondences, and communications within and outside of organizations.
Supervisory and management roles and functions; giving instructions to subordinates, receiving and acting on instructions from immediate supervisor, delegation, motivation, the different types of leadership styles, the planning, control, time management and problem solving. The unit concludes with how to carry out job induction and training, group and team building, the importance of good communication and giving feedback.