Piirto, Doug  

COOL GUY!!!!!!!

Dr. Doug will do anything for his students.He has made my life as a Forestry major a lot easier. He is a little scramble brained and has a hard time staying on path, he is a very busy guy. This is a really good class to take to get comfortable with your major and to understand what you need to do to graduate. The assignment aren't bad, just get them done and you get credit.

SSOOOOOOO BOORRRRRINGG. Are you hearing me class? This class is a pointless joke... Waste of two hours on a Saturday and he is so old and dull.. nice guy but didn't learn a thing. The 4 year plan and club attendance was helpful but not worth an entire quarter of boredom.. don't even go to class.

Dr. Doug is a nice guy but he's just so BORING! His heart is in the right place and he really loves the forest and the area of natural resources but he doesn't do anything to make the class fun or entertaining. This is just an introduction class, so it's easy and there isn't any real work. The lecture is so boring and Dr. Doug repeats himself a lot. He also let it be known that he is very religious and claims his best friend is "2000 years old" (meaning Jesus...) Doesn't sit well with my Atheist beliefs and he should leave religion out of the classroom. He still cares about his students, he is just a little too old and slow to be dealing with 19 year old college students.

Dr. Doug has a lot of experience in forestry and is an intelligent man, but he treats his NR 140 class like a kindergarten class. You go over the syllabus pretty much the entire quarter, listen to him lecture every day on common sense things, and listen to all his sayings (see below). This entire class could be taught in one hour. On the bright side he does care about his students and will let you turn things in late to pass the class. Most of the assignments are pretty short, but there are some longer ones that are easy but time consuming.

He's like a grandpa that really wants you to succeed in life, but he can make you fall asleep during those sleep deprived days.

Dr Doug loves what he does, and he\'s pretty famous in the FNR/ENVM/NR major, not to mention in the industry. He gets off topic easily but you really don\'t mind. He\'s awesome. and retiring soon, so get him while you can. All the people who actually care about the major have a certain fondness and respect for Dr Doug. Ask anyone.

It is an honor to have a class taught by Dr. Doug he is a wealth of knowledge and a good man. I've had him for several classes and all of the classes are straight forward and interesting. If you share at least a quarter of his passion for the woods you will have a great time being taught by him.

Are you with me class? Awesome professor who knows probably everything about Forestry. Pretty easy class, especially if you have read the text book at all. Don't expect Dr. Doug to remember your name though.

Doug is a very good teacher. He is so enthuastic about teaching. It is almost funny to see him get worked up, but he cares that much. He is sort-of rushed durring office hours (because he is so involved) but he will help you if you ask. If you ever need a job in forestry go to Doug. Be sure to be on his good side because he can give you a great recomendation.

Dr.Doug is a very nice man who has a true passion for what he teaches. I enjoyed his class very much and found that his lectures were so good that they inspired me. If you want him to know your name, make a point to go to his office hours. To do well on the tests- go over all the questions in the study guide and pay attention in class. To do well on the homework- make sure and get his notes off the internet. His tests were multiple choice, but not overly easy. Enjoy!

Dr. Doug is a good guy and he loves this class. He is a registered forester so he takes the material seriously. The class is a joke though, and the material is so damn boring, learning about trees and forests. I got the grade I got because I never went to class, he has his lectures online so it is pointless and the class is huge. Other than that, the homework load is not too bad, a couple exercises a week, and the tests are fair. If you aren't an FNR major, I wouldn't take it, but overall Piirto is a descent guy and you learn some interesting stuff.

The way Piirto chose to teach this class was really frustrating to me. Basically we had a schedule for when all the homework assignments were due and we stuck to this schedule for turning them in on the appropriate dates throughout the quarter. Unfortunately, however, Piirto's lectures were not on track at all with the assignments we were doing out of the book. Because he always goes off on tangents and tells his dumb little stories and also because he is sometimes gone away on business trips, he falls behind on his lectures. It really sucked how the whole class had to suffer because of Piirto. It's not just me who thinks this... I talked to several other students who also claimed that they were irritated. This is how the schedule ended up: we would turn homework in on a particular chapter/subject... however, we wouldn't end up going over that chapter/subject in Piirto's lecture until about 3 to 4 class periods after we had turned it in. The thing that frustrated me and a few others the most was how we were being tested on certain material that we didn't cover until a class session after the day of the test. So Piirto basically lectured on some material that we had already been tested on. And it's not like it was brand new to us, because we had, in fact, done the homework, but sometimes it's hard to do the homework without having a teacher explain it first. The best way to learn, I think, is to be introduced to a topic by a teacher (who usually can explain material better than a book), and then follow up and apply yourself by doing homework. Instead, as I mentioned, Piirto chose to have us apply ourselves without being introduced to the topic and then lecture the material to us several classes later. Another thing that bothered me about Piirto is how he was never present on the day of our midterms. We've had two tests in the class, and on both days, he has sent in this girl student of his to proctor the test. Nothing against her, but if I have a question on something or I need help understanding exactly what a certain question is asking on implying, she was not able to help us. For example, most of the rangelands in the United States are in Alaska. So when a question on the test said "True/False: 99% of rangelands in the U.S. are in the midwestern and western states" I was not sure if Alaska counts as a Western state or not. Well, the girl proctoring the exam didn't know either, so I put 'false' because Alaska is way up north, and usually the western states refer to California, Oregon, etc., right? Well, NOPE!!! Sure enough, the answer is true. See, I knew the material on a lot of questions like this, but stupid old Piirto wasn't there to clarify. Now I'm blaming his absence for me missing all my questions, but to be honest, there were a few that needed clarification. Overall it was just a really frustrating class to sit through. I found I did learn the material a lot better when Piirto taught it as opposed to when I read the book, but unfortunately I wasn't being taught the material until it was too late. It would make so much more sense if he just stayed on track and taught the material on the subject the same day as the homework. Piirto, if you're reading this, it's already too late this quarter, but save the future students from the frustration that you put me and several other students through this quarter. Don't tell your dumb little stories that no one cares about, and don't get off on tangents that are irrelevant to the tested material. If you're a true professional, you won't ignore this criticism, but rather fix your problems. And finally, for goodness sakes, stop saying, "Are you with me class?" because it's so hard to follow what you're talking about a lot of the time since you're all over the place in your stories and what not. We are not with you. So learn to be a better teacher, and then, perhaps, we will be with you.

Dr. Doug is just an okay guy. He appears friendly to the class, but I found him to be quite different when I went to his office hours. He seems irritable and sometimes can act like he's so busy that he makes you feel like you're a waist of his time. I also found it hard to study for his tests. His tests are challenging and rather difficult to study for... he posts notes online, which initially appear as if though they'll be a help; unfortunately, a lot of the questions on the test aren't from those notes. What is really frustrating though is how Dr. Doug makes it so that you have to buy the book and a study guide as a package deal. The study guide is WORTHLESS seeing as over half of the answers to the questions in there simply say "Refer to page such and such in the text." It especially stinks how the pages don't even correspond - he must've written the study guide for an older edition or something. Overall, Doug is pretty boring and he makes the class tough by not teaching thoroughly.

Whoever wrote that horrible evaluation on Dr. Doug does not know what they are taking about. Dr. Doug is an awesome professor who genuinely cares about his students. He goes out of his way of offer help and will answer any questions you have. 201 is a very interesting class and gives you a broad overview of everything you will be learning in the NRM department if you are a forestry major. The class is very straight forward and if you look up Dr. Doug

Dr. Doug is a wonderful teacher. He really cares about the students, and he wants everyone to learn. From his jumping up and down, to him getting extremely excited about a student bringing up a good point, he has a constant smile on his face. Going to class was always a thrill because you knew you would have fun learning. Its once in a lifetime you come across a professor as passionate as Doug, I cant wait to take another class with him.

Okay, I read some of the comments below...both the good ones and the bad ones, and I really have to say I'm torn. Dr. Doug is definitely a really nice guy who is totally enthusiastic and always seems to have a smile on his face. But there were surely some good points made in the negative comments. I do think that his lectures are not very detailed and that they basically overview what the chapter is about and what the objectives are rather than actually go into depth on the chapter material itself. Don't get me wrong, Doug is a nice guy, and really cool to talk to, but I don't think he is that great at presenting the information. The good comments below simply reflect his personality, which is totally awesome; it doesn't, however, reflect his abilities as a teacher, which are probably just average.

Dr. Piirto was super cool, and there is no doubt he absolutely enjoys what he's doing. He wants nothing more than all of his students to love forestry as much as he does. The class itself was pretty basic and basically skims the surface of all the subject areas to be studied more closely within the FNR major. The key to success in the class is to read Piirto's online lecture notes, because he gets way off base in his in-class lectures, although they are still quite interesting. Read the lecture notes, and you'll ace his easy 100 question, multiple-choice tests. Overall, Dr. Piirto does not even come close to sucking, as another student on this site indicated. He may spread himself a little thin as a result of his responsibilities as dept. head, but people in class should recognize that he misses some class time only for the betterment of our overall educational experience.

Dr. Doug is friendly and really cares about his students, but his lectures did not seem very helpful. He often tells stories which are interesting, but a little off topic. To do well in this class study from the lecture notes!!! Almost all of the answers to the homework assignments are there. You are not going to want to read the book which is very informative, but quite difficult to read. When studying for tests, use the study guide questions that have the answers with them. I have found quite a few test questions that he copied from there. The tests aren't bad. 100 mult choice. some are t and f. make sure you know the %'s and other numbers. The Policies chapter was hardest for me which made the first midterm the hardest. I hope this helps. And again: Use the LECTURE NOTES!!!

Piirto can not teach worth shit. The man is simply to busy.. He's on the California Board of Forestry and a Department Head. Watch out for the final, he says things are on there that are not, and things that you didn't learn were on it. I got a 93 and 94 on both Midterms and thought I would fly through the final. Got a B on the final and it lowered my grade to a B. Pissed me the fuck off.

I thought Dr. Doug did a really good job for the class considering how busy he was. He was never there which made it really tough at times, especially when we would get mid terms on material that he never mentioned cuz he wasnt there. He is just too busy to teach, but I think that some of these people are taking it too far with some of these comments. Dr. Doug really loves what he teaches and cares for his students 100 percent. Great guy, just too busy to teach.

I would strongly disagree with the last few comments about dr doug. He isn't the best teacher, but he genuinely CARES about his students and does what he can to get along with everyone. I really enjoyed his enthusiasm and excitement. Everything on the test was out of the study guide. One thing that did bother me was that he was too busy to make class which was hard. He was only there around half the time during the second half of the quarter. great guy, fair teacher.

Are you with me here class?

Pirto is very much excited about this course. Do the homework, it's every week and it's pretty easy- it's just time consuming. Study a LOT for the test, but if you study and do the reading and use all of the resources that he gives to you- you should do fine. His tests are very easy and very straight foward. He's a character in class, but watch out for when he goes completely off topic. Trust me- he will...again and again and again and again.... If you ask him questions, he does his best to answer them as completely as he can and he really believes and helping every student that he can. Great teacher, take him if you're interested in the subject, but be prepared to have a toy video game of some sort to keep you awake. lol. I did!

Doug is one of the most enthusiastic professors at Cal Poly. He truly believes in his work and the material he is teaching. However, he has a tendency to be subjective in his grading procedures. The work load was not particurly difficult, but don't expect your grade in the class to be based on the grades on your papers. I felt my grade was based not on my work, but how much he liked me as a person. (Which, as you can see, was not A-level, although my work was)My only advice to students going into one of his classes is to kiss some serious ass.

Dr. Doug...hmmm...where to begin? how about are you hearing me class, or maybe are you with me class, or possibly 15 A's for the day! I have to say that i am ashamed to be an FNR major after taking 201 and 260 from Dr. Doug. He is the department head and should be a great teacher with a vast knowledge of the major, but i find that he just doesn't quite live up to that. I found the class to be rather boring, though it has potential to be a great class. i also thought that there was a lot of material presented on the test that dr. doug simply forgot to cover, due to the fact that he does not create new tests. also, besides the road's project, which will consume your life for a period of about 1 month, there was no need for a 4 hour lab. most of the time i was looking for things to do as doug messed around trying to get panopto to work, which none of us use anyway! Other than the roads project being next to useless, he gave a test on roads before teching the class how to do it, and had a horrile time trying to teach us how to do the project. it seems as thought he had completely forgotten how to do the projoecthimself!

DO NOT TAKE 260 and 315 AT THE SAME TIME! You will have no social life, no weekends, and no sanity by the end of the quarter. Individually they're bad, but definitly manageable...but together, uh ouch.

I liked Doug a lot, but he is too busy to be a great teacher. He is horrible at managing his time and he "signs" on to too many projects and has minimal time to help his students out of class. His office hours are "whenever you can find me." He just needs to have more structure in his class, and he needs to be able to explain things better to his students, he leaves us wondering what he was talking about after every class. Doug is a great guy though, I know he would do anything to help his students, he just needs to manage his time better.

This was such a ridiculous class. I don't feel like I learned much of anything because Doug wasn't even there half the time. He doesn't have time to teach classes and is extremely difficult to track down for office hours. He gives bullshit grades and assignments and makes you go on stupid field-trips to places like Terra Bella (wtf?). Watch out for the final assignment on roads... It sneaks up on you. Basically, don't take this class... Oh wait, you probably have to.

Lets start out with the positives regarding Dr. Doug. He is a very passionate person who loves forestry and all the aspects that come along with it. That being said the FNR 260 class during winter of 2008 was one of the most absurd, butchered, and half-assed classes I have ever taken at Cal Poly. Dr. Doug wasnt there for the first 3-4 weeks of class so instead we had a professor from Finland. This wouldnt have been all that bad if the Finish professor had spoken the English langauge in such a way that he was competent in teaching a college level, technical class. But that wasnt the case and this professor had a horrible time understanding our questions and teaching from the lectures. So instead we got to watch Finish forestry videos showing mechanical harvesting. Many people would think "hey that doesnt sound too bad" but when you are still expected to know the lecture material as "Dr. Doug" would have taught it, it brings up some issues. So Dr. Doug comes back and begins to teach the class expecting that we had learned everything as if he was teaching the class. Another thing, for all that are going to be taking this class in the future. You will have a mandatory field trip on an academic holiday, or maybe on your three day weekend. So enjoy having to travel on your three day weekend, or even worse, on your ACADEMIC HOLIDAY, to Fresno to take a tour of the mill. But hey, the Forestry department has a hard time understanding that maybe, just maybe, field trips on ACADEMIC HOLIDAY may be un-ethical. I guess all you forestry majors must understand that Forestry is your life, it is your priority, and nothing comes before it! You know what I mean, the department wants you to show the same dedication that they have to the students right? Such as Doug leaving for four weeks while a professor who cant speak english tries to teach a class he has never tought before. Or how Doug has office hours "by appointment only", or maybe how he is to busy to stay when his midterms are administered so if you have a questions you have to ask some teacher aid who has no idea what your asking. Or the countless other days that Doug misses classes due to the board of forestry or other commitments. But, I guess we just have to trust Dr. Doug when he preaches on and on about how his students "are his first priority" and how his students are "whats important to him". Words are one thing, the evidence and actions point elsewhere.

Are you with me here class? Anyways, he tries his best and is dedicated to his students. He works his ass off. However, he just talks and talks, and never says anything particularly useful. He loves to tell stories. He is very friendly. I feel like he will be moving away from teaching soon and several other professors have been moving into some of the classes he is teaching. I highly recommend Sarah Bisping (who is not on Poly Ratings yet) if you have an option between the two. She is incredibly nice, helpful, and approachable. I've had a couple situations in lab where I ask a question, Doug talks about it for 10-15 minutes, doesn't really answer the question in any meaningful way, and then Bisping gives you a really useful, concise response immediately afterwards.

Dr. Piirto, or "Dr. Doug" was and is the best NRM professor i have taken a course from thus far. His primary concern are the students! He'll take time out of his busy schedule to help you understand the material. Like all of his classes, you'll have to answer weekly homework questions that are really easy.. but tedious and time consuming. Labs are a bit tougher but are fun because you can throw in your personal opinions... be sure to justify your decisions on silviculturist treatments. Tests are really tough because they cover many subjects.. Doug was walking behind me one day, i didn't see him, but he saw me. He actually approached me to let me know how i was doing in the class (not good at the time) and he let me know that he was there to help! never before has a teacher taken initiative to help me out... that's unheard of.. but this proves that Doug actually cares. I reccommend him.

Doug excels in this class. This was a class I wanted to take from the moment I got to Poly (believe it or not). Doug knows this material better than any one I can think of. He gets excited and keeps your attention in class, sometimes I swear he would jump up and down like an excited puppy. He is pretty open and responsive to questions and is more than helpful. No one at Poly could teach this class better. Doug sometimes rambles but even then there is some moral or nugget of truth that will help you out in the class. In Silv you will end drfting down to Montana De Oro, probably the Moonstone stand out in Cambria, and of course Swanton. This is by far the class Doug teaches best. Sometimes I find myself tempted to sit in it again...But then I think about the massive report due in another class.

Wow, what an amazing class........hahaahahha

If you are a forestry major who is actually interested in what you are studying, and/or wish to pursue a career in forestry, and/or a person who appreciates genuine caring people then you should not pass up on taking a course with Dr. Doug. He doesnt simply run through power point slides. He brings a lifetime of knowledge and experience into every lecture. The first things you will notice are his passion for forestry and his passion for his students. He will not baby you and just give the test away like other professors. He runs his course at a college level, so take responsibility for yourself (it may pay off later in life.) That being said he is more than happy to help you in any way he can. One of the nicest people I know as well as a great influence and inspiration.

First of all I have dr. Doug several times and 90 percent of the time He has been an awesome instructer and until this quarter I always looked forward to having him as a teacher. Doug excelled in the other classes I have taken with him (FNR 260 and 365). In this course however he did very poorly. Doug is the departement head and also teaches Fnr 260 during the winter quarter. His other responsibilities kept him from putting his lecture together effectively. This made it difficult to ask questions in class and made dealing with the quizes more difficult than it should have been. On the plus side the labs for this course were very effective and they presented a unique opportunity for students to gain exposure to working with urban wood- we spent a lot of time at an urban sawmill, toured the ernie ball guitar factory, and we also toured Triplet Harps. The class was very frustrating and overall and the text was often confusing and contradictory. The class may improve in future quarters but I wouldn't chance it.

This class had a lot of potential. Unfortuneately it failed to live up to that this quarter. Lets start with the good stuff- 1. The class deals with an area of Forestry unique within the department, no other FNR class actually deals with the products produced from the resources we manage. 2. The Lab sections made up the bulk of the class- the project involved the construction of a small shed for the swanton pacific property. 3. The lab portion of the class also allowed students to observe and get a feel for the defect that might be found in lumber- stains, knots(which we talk about in a few other courses), crack, splits, you name it we went over it. 4. There were a number of interesting field trips- the ernie ball guitar factory, triplet harps,- not to mention all the work out at Pacific Lumber (Don Seawaters Mill) all of that was positively awesome. 5. Doug loved the subject material and was very knowledgeable about it. He also gave the correct answers on the quizes when he handed them back. They almsot made effective study guides. Now the bad- 1. almost 100 dollars for a text book that had only black and white pictures- thats not a good way to learn how to spot defects, doesn't help much with the visual identifcation of wood, and the book was poorly organized- At times it was confusing and contradictory 2. The Quizes and also the final were laced with questions that were in the reading at some point- problem was there was so much materieal and some of the questions were poorly phrased. No where on the final were any questions asked that dealt with material covered in lab- little things like bird's eye on wood, or that rosewood is the prefered wood for a guitar's fretboard. We went over the pulp and paper process for wood in great detail in class but questions about pulp and paper were not on the final anywhere, nor other details such as the most important wood production areas of the country- It felt like the final was geared toward a lot of esoteric questions (the instructor actually joked about this right before the test) 3. The grading process- the percent of the grade that comprised the final, comprised the quizes, and the lab portion of the class was not clearly explained until the last day of class. 4. Its a pretty crappy thing to do to make your students evaluate your class during the time for the final exam. Giving feedback to the instructer is extremely important but it should never cut into a time frame for the final. 5. The lectures were hardly ever ready by class time. The instructer was often late. Now we all know that a department head has a ton of responsibilities to manage, and it was his first time teaching this class, but thats no excuse for not being prepared for class. The lecture should have focused more on material for the quizes rather than ever detail in the chapters. Over all this class was a flop. The things I actually learned from the class may help me in the future- but the class felt like getting hit in the head with a wood product not a learning experience. Towards the end of the quarter the instructer provided us with some lecture notes (the last two weeks of the quarter) and yes they did help some, but it was like fighting a massive fire with nothing but a backback pump. Assigning homework each week (yes we all hate it) like the instructer does for his other classes would have helped if the questions reflected the quizes. Doug does this in Silviculture and the Harvesting class and its quite effective in both classes. The largest fault with the class was time. Not enough time was spent in lecture covering the material. Perhaps it should be taught in a different quarter, perhaps another instructer should take on the chore rather than the swamped department head. When I think about the money I have paid in the form of loans, not working, and just trying to live in this town and go to this school and I think about this particular class I get very angry. I am not taking twenty thousand in student loans for this type of class. The material would have been worth it but the delivery was about as bad as I have ever seen. It is especially disappointing because we all know it could have, and should have been better. Lastly I want to make it very clear that Dr. Piirto is an awesome and likeable man. He is one of the smartest men I have ever met. His other classes have been among the best I have taken within the FNR program. He just had too much going on to handle this class this quarter. I hated writing this but felt it needed to be done.

This is the first time that Dr. Doug has taught FNR 434. I thought it important to discuss with Dr. Doug the things I liked about the course and the things that could be improved. Dr. Doug shared the comments that the FNR 434 students provided on their "official" evaluation of the course. Some of the more interesting comments from the FNR 434 students are: 1.) The teaching was good; 2.) I really enjoyed the way the course used the lab to illustrate key wood properties and building practices; 3.) I loved the field trips; 4.) This course is a work in progress and will get even better; 5.) Information presented in FNR 434 is not covered in other FNR courses. As such FNR 434 is an essential course for the serious forestry student; 6.) I reallly learned a lot about wood and wood products; 7.) The teacher was enthusiastic and knowledgeable; 8.) I was glad the lecture followed the book. This helped keep the course organized. 9.) Great course, my favorite of the quarter. 10.) Good course, I rate the course a B+ which is a good grade considering it is the first time it was taught; 11.) I think Dr. Doug should put his lecture notes on Blackboard the next time he teaches FNR 434. These comments differ somewhat from what another student submitted to Polyratings. As such, I thought in fairness to Dr. Doug that I share them here.

I have taken Doug for 260, and 434. Dr. Doug is very passionate about all things forestry. The reason he may seem scattered is because he loves teaching so much that he takes on every responsibility he can(like the CA board of forestry), so that he can provide a better experience for his students. If you respect Doug, he will respect you. It is rather easy to contact the department and schedule an appointment, just dont wait till the last moment and then blame your poor planning and preparation on Dr. Doug. 434 is an awesome class. I was able to write it in as an elective on my concentration, and would take it again if I had the chance. Ever wanted to know how much that wood weighs in the back of a short bed pickup? What about the structural strengths of wood and the way different cuts affect load limits. All aspects of everything wood are covered. Doug knows wood properties. We had a small class so we all got to know Doug fairly well, even if we didn't already know him like some students. There is a class project that cooperated with a local mill, in where the students get to decide what they wish to build. This is where the lab hours spent, and is also a blast. The course has seemed to improved from the year prior, and I expect with input will be even better this year. There are also things you will learn in depth in this class that may only be touched on in other classes that will prove to be beneficial later on. In 260 start your road early, and take the felling and bucking clinic. Great experience with a chainsaw and learning to use it the right way. You get to cut down a tree. The only other fnr class that I know that does this is fnr 290.