NREM Course Information

Adapted from the Office of the Registrar course listings .
An asterisk (*) following the four-digit number indicates the course is approved for graduate credit.

Course Listing by Faculty

NREM 1011 Professions in Natural Resources syllabus
An examination of the professions that focus on the ecology and management of natural resources. Exploration of academic and career options. Graded on a pass-fail basis.

NREM 1014 Introduction to Natural History
Lab 2. The study of living organisms especially their origins, life histories, behaviors, conservation, and unique adaptations for reproducing and relating to their environment. Laboratory emphasis is on observation and investigation of the diversity and adaptations of living organisms.

NREM 1114 Elements of Forestry outline syllabus
Lab 3. Survey of forestry as an art, science and profession including forestry and natural resource management theory, forest resource distribution and ownership, history of forest resource policy development, administration and management of forest resources, forest protection, wildlife interactions, forest recreation, forest ecosystem process, land and tree measurements, mapping, current issues, and career opportunities. One required two-day field trip.

NREM 1214 Introduction to Wood Properties and Products syllabus
Lab 2. Basic understanding of anatomical, physical and mechanical properties of solid wood and wood products. Macroscopic and microscopic identification of wood. Principles of manufacture of lumber, plywood and wood composites. Biological deterioration of wood and main wood preservation techniques. One weekend field trip required.

NREM 2013 Ecology of Natural Resources syllabus
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 1114 or PLNT 1213. Introductory focus on understanding and applying general ecological principles to agricultural and natural ecosystems. Emphasis on relationships between climate, soils, agricultural, and natural ecosystems. Topics include nutrient cycles, energy flow, species interactions, biological diversity, productivity, sustainability, and landscape and ecosystem management.

NREM 2103 Forest Measurements I syllabus
Lab 2. Prerequisite(s): 1114; MATH 1715 (or MATH 1513 and 1613); STAT 2013 (or concurrent). An introduction to the measurements of forests, forest products, standing trees, growth, and the application of mensurational techniques to timber valuation and analysis. Measurement techniques of non-timber components of forest resources.

NREM 2113 Timber Harvesting syllabus
Lab 3. Theory and strategies of planning and management of timber harvesting. Harvesting techniques including felling, bucking, skidding operations, and cable yarding. Timber harvest cost analysis, safety aspects of harvesting, and principles of forest road building. Field practices in road design and surveying. Field trips to industrial timber harvesting operations.

NREM 2134 Dendrology syllabus, schedule
Lab 4. Identification, taxonomy and distribution of forest trees and shrubs of the United States; their environmental requirements and utilization.

NREM 3083 Geospatial Technologies for Natural Resources syllabus
Lab 3. Prerequisite(s): MATH 1483, 1493 or 1513. Principles and techniques of aerial photogrammetry, remote sensing, aerial photo interpretation, and geographic information systems. Applications to management of natural resources utilizing photogrammetric instrumentation and geographic information system software.

NREM 3102 Forest Measurements II syllabus
Lab 4. Prerequisite(s): 2103. Two-week segment of seven-week summer field camp. Field study focusing on land, tree and stand-level mensuragion and the use and care of measurement equipment. Special emphasis on the statistical and physical design of forest inventory methods.

NREM 3103 Natural Resource Field Studies
Lab 6. Three-week segment of seven-week summer field camp. Integrated management of forests and timberlands and associated wildland natural resources including wildlife, water, soil, recreation, range, wilderness and minerals to sustain a broad array of uses and values. Visits to private and public natural resource lands and projects integrated with methods of measuring resource attributes and assessing management potential and effects. The ecology, policies, and social and ethical issues that affect management at the landscape level.

NREM 3113 Wood Properties
Lab 2. Prerequisite(s): 1214. Cellular and microscopic structure of wood. Properties of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. Wood and water relationship; wood drying and treatment systems. Stress-strain systems, rheological characteristics of wood, and assignment of design stresses in structural uses.

NREM 3213 Forest Ecology syllabus and schedule
Lab 2. Prerequisite(s): BOT 1404. Study of the forest ecosystem, its structure, function, physical environment, biotic components, change over time and management implications.

NREM 3224 Silviculture
Lab 2. Prerequisite(s): 3213. Principles and techniques of natural and artificial regeneration, intermediate cultural treatments, and silvicultural systems applicable in various forest cover types. Two-day field trip may be required.

NREM 3323 Forest Economics and Finance
Prerequisite(s): AGEC 1114. Economic factors and analytical methods influencing decisions in forest resource management; factors affecting the production of wood products; arithmetic of interest and investment criteria; economics of non-market goods.

NREM 3343 Forest Environmental Science
Overview and analysis of forests, their related environments, their associated natural resources, and their tangible and intangible values, emphasizing basic principles of scientific forest management, the use of forest resources by society, natural resource administration and policy, and current issues in forestry. No credit for NREM in Forestry options.

NREM 3363 Forest Biometrics syllabus
Prerequisite(s): 3102; MATH 2103. The application of statistical methods to forestry problems including stand volume estimation, growth measurement, and volume table construction. Introduction to the use and significance of forest yield tables in forest management. Applications of micro­computing to analysis of forestry data.

NREM 3502 Wildlife Law Enforcement
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing and consent of instructor. Survey of state and federal wildlife laws with emphasis on Oklahoma statutory and regulatory laws pertaining to wildlife. Lectures, guest lectures, videotapes and field exercises.

NREM 3513 Principles of Conservation Biology syllabus
Prerequisite(s): 60 credit hours including BIOL 3034. Application of ecological principles to the maintenance and restoration of biological diversity at genetic, population, and community levels. (Same course as ZOOL 3513)

NREM 3613 Rangeland Management syllabus
Prerequisite(s): 2613 or 3213 or BIOL 3034; SOIL 2124. Managing and restoring rangelands using prescribed burning, grazing and seeding. Managing invasive species with herbicides and mechanical treatments.

NREM 3713 Wildland Fire Ecology and Management syllabus
Prerequisite(s): Introductory Biology (BIOL 1114) or equivalent, and university-level ecology course (e.g. NREM 2013).  Comprehensive introduction to fundamentals of wildland fire: chemistry and physics of fire, fuel and weather influences on fire behavior, ecological effects of fire, interaction of fire and vegetation, history of humans and fire, fire management and suppression, prescribed fire and future of wildland fire.

NREM 4213* Forest Ecophysiology syllabus, outline
Prerequisite(s): BOT 1404. The growth and response of trees and forests to environmental, cultural and genetic factors. Application of physiological principles in predicting the effects of cultural practices on tree growth.

NREM 4273 Ecological Genetics
Prerequisite(s): BOT 1404 or ZOOL 1604, STAT 2013 and any ecology course. Physical basis and principles of inheritance and genetic variation in populations, and how they arise, are quantified, and manipulated by nature and man. Concepts in population and quantitative genetics and their relationship to the evolution of natural and managed populations.

NREM 4323* Timber Management
Prerequisite(s): 3223, 3323. Regulation of forest growing stock to meet management objectives. Land and timber appraisals. Organization of the forest enterprise to meet financial objectives of management.

NREM 4333* Forest Resource Management: Planning and Decision-Making
Lab 2. Prerequisite(s): 4323. Integrated problem solving, to apply biological, quantitative, economic, political, and administrative principles in solving forest resource management problems.

NREM 4343* Forest Administration and Policy syllabus
Forest policy and legislation; personnel matters, organization, supervision and financing of federal, state and private forest enterprises.

NREM 4353* Forest Recreation outline syllabus
An analysis of planning, management, administration and use of forests and related wildlands for recreation, including an overview of public agency and private sector recreation resources, programs, and policy; social foundations of recreation; measurement and evaluation of recreation resource settings, activities, experiences, and use-impact; resource operations and interpretive services; and wilderness management.

NREM 4393 International Forestry and Natural Resources
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor. Relationship between people, forests, the land, and associated natural resources from an international perspective, including an examination of the cultural basis for resource use and development. Topics include sustainable development, ecotourism, deforestation and related issues.

NREM 4403* Wetland Ecology and Management
Lab 3. Prerequisite(s): 3513 or BIOL 3034, or NREM 3213 or consent of instructor. Ecology, classification, restoration, and management of wetlands. Adaptations of wetland plants and animals, structure and function of wetlands, field identification of wetland plants, restoration techniques, wetland classification systems, management and conservation of wetlands, and regulatory processes.

NREM 4411* Water Quality Laboratory
Lab 3. Prerequisite(s): 4413, previous or concurrent. Techniques to monitor surface water for non-point source pollution. Water sampling strategies, chemical and physical analysis for nutrients, sediment and other constituents, biological analysis, quality control and interpretation of results. One required field trip.

NREM 4413* Watershed Hydrology and Water Quality
Lab 2. A study of the effects of land management on non-point source pollution of surface waters. Basic watershed hydrology and the role of hydrologic processes and watershed characteristics in controlling the quantity and quality of water from watersheds. Forest, range and agricultural land uses. Discussion of methods of non-point source pollution control.

NREM 4414* Fisheries Management syllabus
Lab 4. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 3034. Techniques and principles involved in management of fishes. Field trip fee required.

NREM 4424 Fisheries Techniques syllabus
Lab 4. Prerequisite(s): 4414, BIOL 3034, and ENGL 3323 strongly recommended. Research techniques and methodology in fisheries science, including sampling design, habitat measurements, sampling gears and abundance estimation, age and growth analysis, recreational surveys, data analysis, and report writing. No credit for students with credit in 5424*.

NREM 4464* Ornithology
Lab 2. Prerequisite(s): ZOOL 1604. Classification, evolution, distribution, identification, life histories, and morphological, ecological, and behavioral adaptations of birds. Two weekend field trips required.
(Same course as ZOOL 4464*)

NREM 4513* Wildlife Management
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 3034 or NREM 3213. Biological basis for the management of wildlife populations and habitats, with emphasis on current management problems.

NREM 4524* Wildlife Management Techniques
Lab 4. Prerequisite(s): 4513, ENGL 3323 strongly recommended. Research techniques and methodology in wildlife science. Experimental design, wildlife population and habitat analysis, wildlife and vegetation sampling techniques, aging and sexing techniques, and report preparation and presentation.

NREM 4543* Wildlife Habitat Ecology syllabus
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 3034 or concurrent enrollment. Exploration of relationships among wildlife and the habitat features that limit or sustain their distributions. Topics span global biogeography to Oklahoma ecoregions. Group exercises in original literature discussion and production of habitat models.

NREM 4613 Rangeland Resources Planning syllabus
Inventory of ranch resources, survey and evaluation of ranch practices, and economic analysis. Development of a comprehensive ranch management plan. Managing rangeland and ranch resources in a social context. Written and oral reports. Field trips required. (Same course as ANSI 4973)

NREM 4783 Prescribed Fire
Lab 3. Prerequisite(s): 3613. When to use prescribed fire and how to use prescribed fire to accomplish specific land management objectives. Writing prescribed fire plans, policy and laws, weather, equipment, conducting burns, and post-burn mop-up. Field trips required.

NREM 4793 Advanced Prescribed Fire
Lab 3. Prerequisite(s): 4783 or consent of instructor. Preparing fire plans and executing prescribed fires as the fireboss. No credit for both NREM 4793 and NREM 5793. (Same course as 5793*)

NREM 4960 Undergraduate Internship
1-6 credits, max 6. Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor. Supervised internship with an approved natural resource business, government agency, or nongovernment organization, including a diversity of learning opportunities in a workplace environment. Maximum credit requires a three month, full-time internship. Bi-weekly progress reports and final paper required. Graded on a pass-fail basis.

NREM 4980 Undergraduate Research Problems
1-3 credits, max 3, Lab 1-3. Prerequisite(s): Upper-division standing, GPA of 2.50 or better and consent of instructor. Participation in faculty research or execution of a research problem formulated by the student.

NREM 4990* Special Topics in Natural Resource Ecology and Management
1-3 credits, max 12. Advanced topics and new developments in natural resource ecology and management.

1.) NREM 4990.372 Ecological Genetics syllabus
Prerequisite(s): BOT 1404 or ZOOL 1604, STAT 2013, and a General Ecology Course. Covers the physical basis of inheritance, the principles of inheritance, sources of genetic variation in populations, how it arises, how it can be quantified and how it can be manipulated by nature and man. In addition, basic concepts in population and quantitative genetics will be discussed, with a focus on explanations of key concepts relating to the evolution of natural and managed populations.

2.) NREM 4990 Ecology of Invasive Species syllabus

3.) NREM 4990.201 Deer Check Stations

NREM 4991 Senior Seminar
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing in Natural Resource Ecology and Management. Career opportunities (talks and field trips); preparation of resumes and interviews. Graded on a pass-fail basis.

NREM 5000* Master's Thesis or Report
1-6 credits, max 6 (Thesis), 2 (Report). Independent research planned, conducted and reported in consultation with a major professor.

NREM 5020* Graduate Seminar
1 credit, max 10. Special topics in Natural Resource Ecology and Management; philosophy, methods and interpretation of research.

NREM 5030* Special Problems in Natural Resource Ecology and Management
1-9 credits, max 9. Special problems in areas of natural resource ecology and management other than those covered in the student’s thesis research.

    1.) NREM 5030 Ecology of Invasive Species syllabus

NREM 5033* Ecology of Invasive Species
Ecological principles and their application to invasive species. Discussion of population level characteristics and community and ecosystem level effects of a wide variety of taxa including invasive microbial, fungal, plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate examples. Current global consequences and governmental policies/programs designed to limit the spread of invasives. No credit for students having completed NREM 4033.

NREM 5043* Ecology and Evolution of Symbiosis
Ecology and evolution of symbiotic and mutualistic interactions in different ecosystems. Theory, current questions, and general patterns involving biotic interactions of plants and animals with other plants, animals, or microbes.

NREM 5053* Global Ecology and Biogeochemistry
Examines key nutrient pools and transformations in the atmosphere, soils, and hydrosphere, with an emphasis on the role of living organisms in nutrient transformations and fluxes. Emphasis placed on processes relevant to biogeochemical cycles at ecosystem and global scales in reference to aspects of global change.

NREM 5103* Production Ecology of Forested Ecosystems syllabus
Prerequisite(s): 3213 or BIOL 3034. Mechanisms driving the growth and productivity of forests, shrublands, and savannas in response to resource availability, genetics, disturbance, and climate. Topics will include the factors affecting the distribution of forests, relationship between leaf area and productivity, the causes for declining productivity with age, effects of diversity on productivity, the proximal causes of increased growth associated with resource additions, the effects of genetics and uniformity on stand growth, and using stand-level mechanisms to predict forest growth.

NREM 5130* Special Topics in Forestry
1-3 credits, max 9. Advanced study on special topics in forestry.

NREM 5133* Advanced Topics in Forest Biometrics syllabus
Prerequisite(s): 3363 or equivalent; STAT 5013 concurrently or equivalent. Quantitative description of forest populations and methods for modeling forest growth and development. Sampling techniques for forest populations.

NREM 5193* Spatial and Non-spatial Data Base Management
Prerequisite(s): One course in statistics and programming experience. Methods of acquiring, managing and analyzing spatial data using geographic information systems. Management of non-spatial data using relational database managers. Development of applications using these tools for evaluating and managing natural resources.

NREM 5424* Fisheries Techniques syllabus
Lab 4. Prerequisite(s): 4414, BIOL 3034, and ENGL 3323 strongly recommended. Research techniques and methodology in fisheries science, including sampling design, habitat measurements, sampling gears and abundance estimation, age and growth analysis, recreational surveys, data analysis and report writing. No credit for students with credit in 4424.

NREM 5433* Fisheries Science
Prerequisite(s): 4414 or equivalent or consent of instructor. Principles of fisheries science as they relate to fish and aquatic biota, their habitats, and the humans who utilize them.

NREM 5464* Stream Ecology
Lab 4. Prerequisite(s): Course in ecology strongly recommended. Ecology of streams and rivers, physical and chemical properties, biotic assemblages and interactions, ecosystem processes and theories and human impact.

NREM 5523* Population Ecology
Lab 2.5. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 3034, MATH 1513. Theory and principles of predicting and analyzing population abundance and dynamics. Life history theory, foraging theory, habitat selection, population genetics, and species interactions. (Same course as ZOOL 5523*)

NREM 5563* Forest Wildlife Ecology
Prerequisite(s): Course in ecology strongly recommended. Vertebrate species diversity in the world's woodland and forested biomes. Changes imposed by land clearing and development and their effects upon wildlife diversity and populations. Options for wildlife conservation, from strict nature reserves to integrating wildlife habitat management into land use practices. Field trip required.

NREM 5573* Grassland and Desert Wildlife Ecology
Prerequisite(s): Course in ecology strongly recommended. Ecology of grasslands and deserts with emphasis on vertebrate species diversity, adaptations to semi-arid and arid ecosystems, and management problems associated with such habitats.

NREM 5583* Wetland Wildlife Ecology
Prerequisite(s): 4513 or consent of instructor. Ecology and management of wetland dependent wildlife species with an emphasis on the autecology, adaptations for inhabiting wetland systems, and management problems associated with these taxa.

NREM 5654* Applied Landscape Ecology
Lab 3. Advanced ecology and management of grasslands, shrublands, and forests. Understanding the effects of grazing, fire and other disturbances on biotic and abiotic processes. Vegetation dynamics, wildlife habitat evaluation, woody plant encroachment, rangeland monitoring, and landscape ecology. Field trips required at additional cost to students.

NREM 5660* Special Topics in Rangeland Science
2-4 credits, max 4. Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor. Selected topics in rangeland research methods or other rangeland topics.

NREM 5723* Ecology of Fire Dependent Ecosystems
Prerequisite(s): Any ecology course. Role of fire and the interactions with land use, weather, and climate change in fire-dependent ecosystems. Responses of species composition, diversity, annual net primary productivity, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem management in diverse ecosystems.

NREM 5783* Prescribed Fire
When to use prescribed fire and how to use prescribed fire to accomplish specific land management objectives. Writing prescribed fire plans, policy and laws, weather, equipment, conducting burns, and post-burn mop-up. Field trips required.

NREM 5793* Advanced Prescribed Fire
Lab 3. Prerequisite(s): 4783 or consent of instructor. Preparing fire plans and executing prescribed fires as the fireboss. No credit for both 4793 and 5793.

NREM 6000* Doctoral Dissertation
1-15 credits, max 45. Independent research planned, conducted and reported in consultation with major professor.

NREM 6010* Advanced Topics and Conference
1-6 credits, max 6. Prerequisite(s): MS degree. Supervised study of advanced topics. A reading and conference course designed to acquaint the advanced student with fields not covered in other courses.