The course aims to provide students with a broad, balanced understanding of fire as a biophysical process. We will explore fire from many perspectives, including physics, ecology, biogeography, management, policy, and economics. The course will strive to make our study of fire interesting and relevant in the contemporary world by examining how such factors as climate change, invasive species, and land use influence how fire interacts with the landscape. We will examine a variety of fire management strategies including fire suppression, prescribed fire, wild land fire use, and landscape restoration ecology. The course will provide a global perspective on fire, with primary emphasis on ecosystems of western North America.
Course Credits
3