Bachelor Plus 2014/2015 Tobias Stubenazy B.Sc.-Study "Waldwirtschaft und Umwelt-ProFI" (Profilbildung durch Forstwissenschaftliche Internationalisierung) [1] 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 Tobias Stubenazy [2] 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. Tobias Stubenazy [3] 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 Tobias Stubenazy [4] 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