Fire Education

Between 2001 and 2006, Project Learning Tree and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in cooperation with the National Interagency Fire Center partnered to provide joint educator workshops in wildland fire education. The workshops used selected hands-on activities from the PLT PreK-8 and Secondary Modules, as well as a variety of supplemental fire education materials developed by the BLM and other federal agencies, including the popular "Burning Issues" CD produced by the Science Education Department of Florida State University. In addition, this partnership also sponsored special GreenWorks! grants designed to engage students directly in community service programs focusing on wildland fire prevention, safety, and restoration.

Twenty-five states delivered fire-themed workshops to more than 10,000 educators.  The participating states were Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. 

Below are some resources for fire education:

Background Information by Region

     The documents listed below contain information specific to various North American ecosystems regarding their natural fire regimes, fire adaptations and post-fire succession.

Jack Pine Communities of the Great Lakes

Midwest Tallgrass Prairie

Ponderosa Pine - Pacific Northwestern US

Southern Pine Communities

Southwestern California Chaparral

Web Resource Collection
 
      This one-page document lists fire-based websites containing information ranging from fire in North American ecosystems to historical fire regimes to a glossary of wildland fire terms.
 

Books, Videos and Websites Resource Collection
 
     The following bibliography contains several educational resources on Fire Ecology and Fire Management.  These books, videos, curricula and websites have been compiled by Kay Antunez, California PLT Coordinator.

Learning to Live with Fire

     The Learning to Live with Fire activity addresses California’s fire-adapted ecosystems, the role of fire in California, using fire to manage wildfires and what it means to live in a fire prone ecosystem.  In addition, students learn about the fire triangle and how to create a fire safe home.  (This activity was adapted from “Boreal Forest Fire Triangle,” The Role of Fire in Alaska. Anchorage: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992.) 

Wildland Fire Primer

     This Wildland Fire Primer is intended to serve as an outline for educators interested in teaching students about wildland fire. The background information provided in this Primer and related curriculum materials will enable educators to feel comfortable discussing wildland fire topics, and assist them in bringing these important topics into the classroom.  This Primer has five areas of emphasis: (1) the natural role of fire; (2) the historical and cultural aspects of fire; (3) the wildland–urban interface zone; (4) fire management—fuels treatment and prescribed fire; and (5) fire management—fire education, prevention, and suppression.

Other Fire Education Links:

• Fire Research in Support of the National Fire Plan
• Fighting Wildfires Before They Start
• Glossary of Wildland Terms
• The USDA Forest Service
• The Global Fire Monitoring Center
• The Wildfire News
• The National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Program
• WFPA's Research Summary on the Effects of Wildfire on Wildlife
• ELC's "Firestorm: Thinking Critically About Environmental Issues"

Fire Education Activities

PLT Activity Fire Variations:

Fire and PLT Activities—a listing of PLT activities with descriptions of Fire adaptations
Values on the Fire Line (#19)
Who Works Student Page (#34)
Every Tree Fire Variation (#27)
Theft of Fire-Little Shell (#18)
Grandmother Spider Steals the Fire (#18)
How Coyote Stole Fire (#18)
How Fire Came to the Six Nations (#18)
How Rabbit Brought Fire to the People (#18)
Origin of Fire (#18)
The First Fire (#18)
The Pact of the Fire (#18)

Supplemental Fire Activities & Other Information:
Fire Cliches Icebreaker
Photosythesis-Combustion Poker
Burning Issues Guide-CA