<p> NREM 390 – Fire Ecology & Management – Fall 2010 T,Th 11:00 – 12:20, Science II Room 333</p><p>Instructor: Dr. Heidi Asbjornsen Tel: 4-7703; email: [email protected] Office: 305 Science II</p><p>Co-instructors/guest lecturers: Susana Alvarado Barrientos; email: [email protected] Ryan Harr; email: [email protected] Dr. Virginia Hernandez Santana; email: [email protected] Bryan Ott; email: [email protected]</p><p>Office hours: By appointment (We welcome the opportunity to talk with you outside of class; please contact any of us by email, phone, or in person to set up an appointment at a mutually convenient time.) </p><p>Webpage: http://www.nrem.iastate.edu/class/nrem390.htm</p><p>Textbook: Introduction to Wildland Fire (1996, 2nd edition) by S.J. Pyne, P.L. Andrews, R.D. Laven. Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. A copy of the textbook is available at the Reserve Desk in the library and photocopies are in the NREM reading room.</p><p>Supplementary readings: Readings for some classes will be placed on the course webpage (see course schedule for details)</p><p>Goal of the course: The goal of this course is to introduce you to the fundamentals of fire ecology and management. Although the focus will be on forest ecosystems, we will also address some aspects of fire in grassland and savanna woodland ecosystems. </p><p>Course Outcomes: By the end of this course you should be able to:  Explain how fire behavior is influenced by climatic and physical factors  Describe the effects of fire on plants, animals, and the physical components of ecosystems  Describe the fire ecology of the major fire-influenced ecosystems of North America  Discuss effective fire control techniques for different wildfire and prescribed fire situations.  Formulate effective fire management strategies for a variety of different ecosystems</p><p>Readings will be assigned for most class periods, and you will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss topics related to those readings, as well participate actively in class discussions. A list of outcomes will be provided for each class period (usually on the previous class day) to help you identify the material we think is important to remember as you read each chapter. We also will have very short quizzes over the major points of the class material that will be given most Fridays at the beginning of class. There will be two additional assignments during the semester: a term paper and a team project. Details about these assignments are provided in separate hand-outs.</p><p>An optional field trip may be arranged to a site nearby to participate in a prescribed burn (most likely for savanna or prairie restoration), pending favorable weather conditions. This field trip is highly recommended, since it would provide you with an excellent opportunity to experience first hand several aspects of fire ecology and fire management in the field. Grading: The grade for the course will be determined according to the following criteria: Exam I 20 % Exam II 20 % Exam III 20% Team presentations 10 % Term paper and associated assignments 20 % Quizzes/short assignments (2 lowest dropped) 5 % Class participation 5 %</p><p>Grading will be as follows: A: 93-100%, A-: 90-92.9%, B+: 87-89.9%, B: 83-86.9%, etc.</p><p>Assignments should be handed in at the beginning of the class (or sent to me electronically before class) on the day they are due. Late work will not be accepted. [Note: I am aware that sometimes extenuating circumstances may occur that prevent completion of an assignment. In such a case, please discuss the situation with me in advance such that appropriate arrangements can be made.]</p><p>Cooperative learning philosophy:</p><p>Throughout the course you will frequently be asked to work with other students in the class – both in a group setting (3-4 students) and in smaller pairs. We believe that learning takes place when students actively participate in the process of interpreting, explaining, and applying new knowledge and skills—and not by merely listening to an instructor and being “passively spoon- fed” information. Working with other students in the class is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the topic. You will be expected to participate actively in your own learning, as well as contribute to the learning of other students in the class. Our primary role as instructors is to facilitate this process by providing the necessary structure, tools and information where cooperative learning can take place and new knowledge can be built, as well as to encourage and enable each student to reach their greatest achievement possible within his or her abilities and potential. We use a variety of assessment techniques throughout the course in order to help both you as students and us as instructors to determine how well you are learning— and how well we are teaching. We also use these assessments as a basis for improving the course during the course of the semester, and we always value your feedback on how we can better enhance your learning in the course. Finally, we do not believe that grading on a curve— which creates competition among students—is an appropriate means of evaluation. Each student will be graded on their own merits and degree of advancement within the course.</p><p>Some basic ground rules for the class:  Be on time and be prepared  Respect each other and diverse opinions  Actively participate  Actively listen  No put-downs  Encourage and support each other</p><p>Statement on learning disabilities: If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Resources (DR) office, located on the main floor of the Student Services Building, Room 1076, 515-294-7220. NREM 390 – Fire Ecology & Management – Fall 2010 T, Th 11:00 – 12:20, Science II, Room 333</p><p>Date Topic Assignment Aug. 24, Tues. Introduction</p><p> s Aug 26, Thur. The combustion process Chapter 1 (p. 3-34)</p><p> c & Fire behavior Chapter 2 (p. 46-89); i</p><p> s Aug 31, Tues. Fire behavior & Wildland fuels Chapter 2 (p. 46-89); Chapter 3</p><p> a (p. 90-127)</p><p>B Sept. 2, Thurs. Fire weather - Temperature & Chapter 4 (p. 128-162) RH, Atmospheric stability e</p><p> r Sept. 7, Tues. Fire weather – Winds, Air Chapter 4 (p. 128-162) i Masses, & Fronts, clouds & T- F storms Sept. 9, Thurs. Literary research/Paper writing Topics for term paper due Sept. 14, Tues. Group Presentations: Weather Sept. 16, Thurs. Fire’s effects on vegetation & Pyne et al. pp. 171-190 wildlife Guest lecturer: Virginia Sept. 21, Tues. Fire’s effects on soils & water Pyne et al. pp. 190-197 Guest lecturer: Virginia Sept. 23, Thurs. Fire regimes and the world’s Annotated literature list for biomes term paper due Pyne et al. pp. 198-212; 629- 640 Guest lecturer: Virginia Sept. 28, Tues. Fire weather and Fire effects – review/catch up</p><p> y Sept. 30, Thurs. Exam I</p><p> g Oct. 5., Tues. High/mixed intensity fire Pyne et al. pp. 196-197</p><p> o regimes: Rocky mountain Turner et al. 2003 (Surprises l conifer forests and lessons from the 1998 o Group presentation Yellowstone fires) c Oct. 7, Thurs. High intensity fire regimes: Reading: TBA E</p><p>Chaparral Outline of term paper due e Group presentation Guest lecturer: Susana r i Oct., 12, Tues Moderate intensity fire regimes: Reading: TBA</p><p>F prairie/grasslands Pyne et al. pp. 204-205 Group presentation Guest lecturer: Susana Oct. 14, Thurs. Low intensity fire regimes: Reading: TBA eastern deciduous forest & Guest lecturer: Susana savannas Group presentation Oct. 19, Tues. Mixed fire-regimes: Boreal Reading: TBA forest Group presentation Guest lecturer: Susana Oct. 21, Thurs. Mixed fire-regimes: Tropical Reading: TBA ecosystems Guest lecturer: Susana Group presentation Oct. 26, Tues. Review/Catch up t Oct. 28, Thurs. Exam II n Nov. 2, Tues. Introduction to Fire Suppression Pyne et al. 456-472 e</p><p> m Nov. 4, Thurs. Fire suppression: resources & Guest Lecturer: Bryan Ott e organization g a Nov. 9, Tues. Fire suppression: NFDRS & Guest Lecturer: Ryan Harr n Introduction to Prescribed Fire a Nov. 11, Thurs. Prescribed Fire – Case studies Pyne et al. 539-562</p><p>M Guest Lecturer: Ryan Harr</p><p> e Nov. 16, Tues. Modeling fire behavior Guest Lecturer: Bryan Ott r Nov. 18, Thurs. Group presentations: fire i management F Nov. 23, Tues. NO CLASS Thanksgiving break Nov. 25, Thurs. NO CLASS Thanksgiving break Nov. 30, Tues. Wildland-Urban Interface Cohen, J.D. Reducing the wildland fire threat to homes: where and how much? http://www.nps.gov/fire/dow nload/pub_pub_reducingfiret hreat.pdf#search= %22reducing%20the %20wildland%20fire %20threat%20to%20homes %20cohen%22 Dec. 2, Thurs. Fire policy: the National Fire Pyne et al. pp. 619-629 Plan Term paper due</p><p>Dec. 7, Tues. Review/Catch up Dec. 9, Thurs. Exam III</p>