Trees and forests in urban areas and in the wild provide essential benefits to people and the environment, but face increasing challenges that put them at risk. In this upper-level college course, participants will explore forest ecology in practice at the Arboretum and at other local sites to gain a rich understanding of the biodiversity, ecological importance, and conservation practices for forests.
Through field exploration, classroom instruction, discussions, and presentations, this course will cover:
- How ecological principles operate in forests at individual, population, community, and ecosystem scales.
- Current environmental issues impacting forests such as the biodiversity crisis, global climate and environmental change, and more.
- Current methods in forest ecology and conservation.
Students will leave with an understanding of:
- The importance of forests and how they function
- What threatens forests in the present day and age
- How we can mitigate threats to our forests
This program includes live online sessions and in-person sessions at The Morton Arboretum and local sites of interest.
See What to Know for prerequisites, travel requirements, and registration info.
Instructors: Ash Hamilton, MS, research affiliate; Megan Dunning, PhD, senior manager of adult learning and industry engagement, The Morton Arboretum
Credit: 4 semester hours (or equivalent), upper division undergraduate
Prerequisites: General biology and either introductory botany, environmental science, ecology, or permission of the instructor are required prior to enrolling in this course.
Age: This course is open to students currently enrolled in the schools participating in the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA) consortium. An option to audit the course is also available by selecting the audit option during online registration.
Course number: ACCA-FE
Instructors
Ash Hamilton, MS, research affiliate, The Morton Arboretum
Ash Hamilton earned their BS in biology from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi in 2019. They are currently a fifth-year PhD student in evolutionary biology and plant conservation at The University of Chicago and The Morton Arboretum, having obtained an MS along the way. They have worked in six research labs all over the country performing field and lab work to investigate various aspects of plant evolution. The research they are doing for their dissertation combines their evolutionary background with real world conservation impact. In addition to doing plant evolution and conservation research, they are deeply interested in teaching and training the next generation of plant scientists.
Megan Dunning, PhD, senior manager of adult learning and industry engagement, The Morton Arboretum
Megan Dunning has been working in education at the Arboretum since 2007. She oversees curriculum development and program management of the Arboretum’s educational programs for adults, college students, and green industry professionals. These programs focus on subjects ranging from trees and nature, gardening and horticulture, tree care, ecological restoration, nature art and photography, and wellness, and include both in-person and online classes. Before entering the world of public gardens, Dunning studied the co-evolution of plants and their pathogens at the University of Chicago, where she completed a PhD in genetics. She believes in the importance of hands-on learning and has been known to pull the car over to identify plants.
What to Know
General biology and either introductory botany, environmental science, ecology, or permission of the instructor are required prior to enrolling in this course.
Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the Arboretum and to and from any field trips.
There is no required textbook for this course, but a variety of course readings will be provided via TreeLearning. Your favorite field guide to trees will be useful.
For currently enrolled students at the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA) schools, tuition for this course is collected through the ACCA school where the student is enrolled. No additional course fee is due to the Arboretum.
There is an audit fee of $600 for those not enrolled through the ACCA schools who wish to audit the course. The discounted cost for Arboretum members is $520.
To enroll, you will need to register online through the Arboretum in addition to contacting your advisor and the registrar’s office at your school.
Please direct questions about registration to the registrar at registrar-ed@mortonarb.org.
Program Schedule
This program includes Saturday meeting times in person at the Arboretum and at local sites of interest and online meeting times on Mondays, February through April. The complete syllabus will be emailed to students two weeks prior to the start of class.
In Person
Saturday, February 6, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 20, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 27, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 6, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 20, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 27, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 3, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 24, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Please note that Saturday, April 4 is reserved as a backup date in case of inclement weather.
Online
Mondays, February 8, through April 19, 2027, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
The first in-person class meets at the Thornhill Education Center on the Arboretum’s West Side. Parking is available in parking lot P-21.
