DEPARTMENT
OF WOOD SCI ENCE
Degree of Bachelor of Science
in Wood Science and Technology Requirements
The
course of study, which is shown in the Curriculum, takes four years. Minimum requirements
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Wood Science are 137-139 Semester Hours,
including 129-131 taken during the semesters and 8 from the Wood Science and Technology
Practices conducted in the long vacation periods in Freshman, Sophomore and Junior
Years.
The
above 137-139 semester hours Include two for ROTC from which foreign students
are exempted.
Course
Description
Fore
101 - Introduction to Forestry
A
brief history of forestry science In relation to forestry. Forest types and their
distributions, regeneration, succession, habitat factors, air temperature, climate,
atmospheric moisture. Forest benefits, direct and indirect. Agriculture and Forestry
- differences and similarities. Outlines of Forest Mensuration. Silviculture,
Management, Forest Policy, Harvesting and Utilization. Explanation of a model
forest law in relation to the forest taws and regulations of the Republic of Liberia.
The importance of Forestry as a profession.
Credit:
1 credit/semester
Fore
102 - Introduction to Agriculture
Agriculture today and its characteristics.
Agricultural geography and regional pattern of world agriculture. The possibilities
of African rural development in relation to economic and social growth. Scope,
importance and possibilities on the development of agriculture in Liberia. The
opportunities in agriculture and the function of the agricultural curriculum.
Credit:
1 credit/semester
Fore
201 - Dendrology
Pre-requisites: Biol
103 & 104
Introduction
to plant economy principles. Current systems of classification. Most important
Monocotyledon and Dicotyledon families. Field identification of Liberian high
forest trees using morphological characteristics of crown, leaves, twigs, bark,
flower, fruit and stem growth type. Laboratory practice on herbarium techniques
and tree identification.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
202 - Wood Structure and Identification
Pre-requisites: Biol 104, WSTE
201
Introduction
to woody plants anatomy. Stem differentiation and anatomy of cambium and wood
tissues. Wood quality in relation to tree growth. Biological organism and wood
deterioration. Wood identification using hand magnifier and minute structures
using microscopic techniques. Identification of Liberian woods and the use of
dichotomus keys for identification.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
221 - Sophomore Practice
Log
identification in the forest and grading practice, principles of plant inspection.
Credit:
2 credits/semester
Fore
301 - Forest Mensuration
Introduction
of measurement for purposes of sale, management and research. Measurement of felled
trees, logs and lumber and volume determination. Shape, taper, eccentricity of
section and bark-thickness. The board foot measures and log rules. Volume tables.
Increment studies. Sample plots and yield tables in plantation. Use of mensuration
instruments and their application. Laboratory a regular component.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
Fore
302 - Forest Inventory
The
urgent need for forest inventories, and definitions of forest areas, ownership,
volumes of standing timber, growth and drain. Enumerations based on coordinated
aerial and ground surveys. Photogramme-try and photo-interpretation, maps and
determination of forest areas. Estimation of volume of standing timber growth
and drain. Systematic, random and stratified random sampling. The introduction
of elementary statistical analysis so as to be able to calculate tolerable and
reliable minimum estimates of exploitable timber volume.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
303 - Saw-milling and Lumber Grading
Milling operation history. Saw milling
operations In West Africa and the world. Saw mill types and layout. Energy consumption
and waste disposal in saw mills. Saw doctoring principles. Principles of lumber
grading. Tropical hardwood lumber grading.
Credit:
2 credits/semester
WSTE
305 -Wood Anatomy and Microscopy
Pre-requisites: WSTE 201 & 202
Advanced
microscopic identification, variability and anatomical characteristic of wood
and paper-making fibers with special emphasis on LJberian woods.
Credit:
2 credits/semester
WSTE
309 - Wood Behavior (Wood Physics)
Pre-requisites: Chem 102, Phys 104,
WSTE 202 & WSTE 303,
Math 201
Wood
as raw material. Physical behavior of wood chemical components. Density of wood.
Wood-moisture relation. Mechanisms of water movement in wood. Dimensional changes
in wood. Thermal electrical and acoustical behaviors of wood. Elastic and plastic
behaviors of wood. Hooke's Law and elasticity. Anisotropy of wood mechanical behavior.
Viscoelastfc behavior of wood. Tensile, crushing and bending strength. Factor
controlling failure criteria in wood.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
310 - Mechanical Processing of Wood
Prerequisite: WSTE 309
Wood
machining history. Orthogonal cutting principles. Sawing technology principles.
Band, circular, chain and sash sawing. Planning and Moulding - veneer production
methods. Chipping and debarking. Jet and laser machining principles.
Credit:
2 credits/semester
WSTE
314 - Wood Seasoning
Pre-requisites: WSTE 303
Air
drying practice in the tropics. Principles of moisture movement. Kiln types and
equipment. Maintenance of kiln. Kiln drying operation and kiln samples. Kiln schedules
for tropical hardwoods. Drying operations efficiency and seasoning defects. Concepts
of solar kilns and solar drying possibilities under tropical environments.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
318 - Wood Preservation
Pre-requisites: Chem 102, Phys 104. WSTE 202, WSTE
303
Wood
Preservatives, impregnation and diffusion processes. Factors affecting penetrability
and absorption. Void volume calculations and preservatives retention. Preparing
timber for treatment. Preservation plant layout. Operation and treatment cycles.
Practice of vacuum/ pressure impregnation plant. Quality of treated wood. Fire-retarding
treatment.
Credit:
2 credits/semester
WSTE
321 - Junior Practice
Mechanical
processing principles. Industrial plant operations. Exercise in drying schedules,
gluing and wood finishing.
Credit:
5 credits/semester
WSTE
322 - Introduction to Wood Chemistry
Pre-requisite: Chem 101 & 102
Topics
in organic chemistry required for a basic understanding of wood'chemistry and
chemical utilization of wood. Special emphasis will be placed on carbonyl groups,
aliphatic and aromatic hydroxyl groups, stereochemistry, polymerization as well
as the chemistry of the three principal components of wood.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
401 - Wood Ruid Relationships
Pre-requisites: Chem 102, Math 202, Phys
104
Principles
of fluid mechanics. Thermodynamics of wood fluid systems. Hydrogen bonding, Van
der Vaal and long range forces. Sorption isotherms and hysteresis. Significance
of f. sp. flow in wood. Movement of water, nonpolar liquids and vapors in wood.
Permeability and porosity of wood. Diffusion coefficient and Its derivation in
wood. Rheo-logy in shrinkage in wood. Stresses developed in wood drying. Application
of dry kiln schedule development.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
409 - Furniture Production and Finishing
Pre-requisites: WSTE 305, WSTE
309 & WSTE 310
Wood
as furniture material. Workshop operation and equipment. Factory processing in
furniture industry. Assembly operation. Furniture design principles. Classes of
wood finishing materials, schedules of finishing. Chemistry of wood finishing.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
411 - Wood Mechanics and Testing
Pre-requisites: Phys 103, Math 202, Math
305, WSTE 309
Mechanical
behaviors of woods. Stress-strain relationship in wood and plywood elastic behavior.
Time dependency concepts and viscoelas-tic behaviors. Theories of failure In wood
standard testing, data and theoretical mechanical behavior. Testing of wood mechanical
properties. Variability and procedures of mechanical data analysis.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE414
-Wood Frame Housing (Design)
Pre-requisltes: Math 202. Math 305, WSTE 309,
WSTE 411
Load
analysis and design criteria. Elements of theory of elasticity In wood design.
Wood beams in bending. Graphical and mathematical calculation of defections plywood
box. I beams and fabricated beams. Wooden columns wooden arches. Fastening in
wood structure, trees and rigid frame wood structures. Application of frame housing
under tropical conditions.
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
422 -Adhesive and Board Industries
Pre-requlsites: WSTE 305, WSTE 309 &
WSTE 310
Theory
of Adhesion. Wood Adhesion Chemistry and applications. Art no plastic and phenolic
glues. Groups of wood adhesive*. Factors affecting glue bond strongth. Adhesive
selection and ingredients for Wood-composite board manufacturing. Plywood production
lines. Fiber and particle panel raw materials. Hardboard and tnsolution Board
manufacturing. Wet and dry processes. Particle-board production - Rat and extruded
boards. Plants layout in board industries. Properties of wood-based panel products.
I
Credit:
3 credits/semester
WSTE
430 - Forest Products Marketing
Pre-requlsiteS: WSTE 320, WSTE 405 and/or
Fore 403
Volume
and value of major forest products in Liberia. Market structure. Marketing channels
and cost. Production cost. Operational analysis and programming. Application on
tropical hardwood marketing. Promotion of lesser known species in Africa.
Credit:
2 credits/semester
WSTE
490 - Utilization Problems for Juniors
Pre-requisite: Permission of Instructor
Problems
related to forest utilization in West Africa. Exposure of students to wood Industry
sector in West Africa-
Credit:
1-5 credits/Semester
WSTE
499 - Special Topics
Pre-requisite: Senior Classification
Special
topics in the areas of wood science and technology involving research in small
projects for seniors and above.
Credit:
1-5 credits/semester
