Forest Fire
FS 599 - Fire Ecology
Syllabus

Lecture: TBA

Instructor:
Office hours: By appointment or drop in

Goals:
The primary course goal is to increase your familiarity with the basic ecological concepts and issues of wild and controlled fire. The course assumes that the students have a basic understanding of ecological concepts and terminology.

The course has a number of secondary goals that are developed through the processes of the course. These include making your classmates think, critical reading and thinking skills, improved understanding of group processes, and creative thinking.

Course structure:
We have just nine class meetings of 80 minutes so we will try to cram too much into each class with the primary activity of the course being discussion of literature readings.

Readings and discussions:
The readings are a mix of classic papers, synthesis or summary papers, and recent research papers with the emphasis on recent research. They were chosen to cover a broad spectrum of topics within the broad heading of fire ecology. Links to pdf files for all class readings and a related bibliography are found at: http://www.cof.orst.edu/cof/teach/fs599/fire.htm

Each student will turn in at the end of each discussion period a brief written description of the primary research issue addressed (what was their researchable question?) in each assigned paper, the research approach used, and how the primary scientific conclusion relates to the primary research issue. Each of these three points to be covered can be a single sentence so you may have only three sentences per paper. These should be prepared ahead of class time and turned in at the end of the period.

Each student (as part of a 2-3 person team) will be responsible for leading a discussion of class readings at least once. In preparation for leading a discussion, the discussion leaders will prepare a list of issues and questions related to the reading. Additional data, tables, figures or bibliographic references are welcome. When leading a discussion, begin with a brief (2 minutes tops) summary of the why, what and import of the paper. Then begin the discussion with a question, prompt as needed when the discussion gets off course, and move on to the next question when you think it is time. Keep the primary goals of the course in mind as you guide the discussion.

Evaluation:
Evaluation is based on understanding illustrated in discussions and the abstract as well as on leadership of assigned discussions. If you don’t participate in the discussions, how do we know how really insightful you are? A lot of people in the class have limited background in ecology so do not think your question is too simple. Ask it!!

Course Outline:
  1. The study of fire history
  2. Fire history/fire regimes
  3. Climate effects and climate change
  4. Plant adaptations to fire
  5. Effects of fire suppression
  6. Fuels treatments
  7. Wildlife, fish and fire
  8. Post-fire recovery
  9. Fire and forest policy