2009 Fire Ecology Institute for Educators

The week spent in Durango, Co was instrumental in the continued development of the Unit on Wildfire that Rhonda Spidell and I teach at Albuquerque Academy. The current curriculum was heavy in the science of combustion and the physical effects of fire. This workshop has given us several new activities to address important questions on wildfire. After attending the Fire Ecology Institute we have made exciting adjustments to our curriculum to address in depth the function and importance of wildfire in many different ecosystems. They are as follows:

How do ecosystems influence fire regimes?
Dendrochronology lab (evidence for fire patterns)
Fire Management Plans
Reading: Fuel treatments
Lab: Kindling Point
Demo: Dust Explosion

How are watersheds affected by wildland fire?
Reading
Topographic Mapping

How do Ecosystems change over time?
Succession (PLT Environmental Ed #80 – Nothing Succeeds Like Succession
Every Tree for Itself (PLT Environmental Ed #27 p117)
Story of Succession(PLT forest ecology p61)

We also added the following activities to teach the fire triangle with an ecosystem emphasis:

What are the necessary components of fire?
Fire triangle (Fuel, Oxygen, Heat)
PTL Forest Ecology Understanding Fire #7 p82
3D Fire Triangle “cootie catcher”

Environmental Fire triangle(fuels, weather, topography)
Lab: Matchstick Forest PLC
3D Fire Triangle “cootie catcher”

The week spent with Project Learning Tree will continue to enhance our curriculum and classrooms for many years to come. I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Fire Ecology Institute this year and the enrichment my students will receive.