This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• assess the role of fire in the forest ecosystem
• analyse causes of and prevention methods for forest fires
• identify factors that influence fire behaviour
• describe the social, economic, and ecological effects of fire suppression
• explain how prescribed burns can be used to achieve forest management objectives

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Have students research and report on the role of fire as a natural part of forest ecosystems, with attention to species adaptation and forest succession. Encourage them to identify differences in various regions of the province.
• Ask students to list potential causes of wildfires and suggest ways to prevent them. Have them research lightning-strike data compiled by the Ministry of Forests.
• As a class, discuss the effects that factors such as wind, temperature, rainfall, humidity, fuel, and slope have on fire behaviour. Invite students to assess a local fire in terms of these factors.
• Have students compose letters to the editor entitled "Fire Suppression Threatens Forest Health." Their arguments should include reference to issues such as risk of more destructive wildfires, insects, disease, reduced regeneration, reduced diversity, and hazards to recreationalists.
• Provide opportunities for students to attend a demonstration of firefighting equipment or visit a Ministry of Forests warehouse to examine specialized equipment for direct, parallel, and indirect attack methods.
• Have students create plans to control a simulated forest fire, addressing factors such as safety, cost, equipment, and distance. Plans should include maps, charts, or other visuals.
• Invite students to examine a case study in which a fire was allowed to burn, as part of the natural forest ecosystem. Ask students to debate this action in terms of effects on:
  • the forest (e.g., herbaceous growth, succession, speed of recovery, wildlife enhancement, biodiversity)
  • residents
  • the economy (e.g., firefighting costs)
  As an extension, have students investigate and compare the use of fire suppression policies in British Columbia and globally.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• To check students' understanding of the role of fire as part of a forest ecosystem, ask questions such as:
  • How do forest fires affect specific plant and animal populations?
  • Which organisms in a forest benefit most immediately after a forest fire? Which benefit later on?
  • What types of natural processes (e.g., soil enhancement, erosion, disease control) are associated with forest fires?
• Have students create charts to describe factors that influence fire behaviour. Suggest that they also include information on the impact of factors such as fire size, intensity, and duration. Allow students to check and assess their own understanding by:
  • meeting in small groups to compare and discuss answers
  • comparing their work to a model
• Provide students with case studies of forest fires. Have them analyse the causes of the fires and suggest how the fires could have been prevented or their impact reduced. As students respond, look for evidence that they are aware of:
  • factors that create and influence fire behaviour
  • fire control and suppression techniques, terminology, and technology
  • how to select and plan forest management strategies to reduce the risk of unwanted forest fires
• Conduct a field trip focussing on the causes and effects of fires. Collect and review students' field notes to look for evidence that they are able to:
  • make accurate and insightful observations
  • provide clear explanations of possible causes and probable impacts (e.g., identify short- and long-term social, economic, and ecological impacts)

• Balancing Act: Environmental Issues in Forestry
• Forest Practices Code Guidebooks

• The Boreal Forest II
• Fighting Fire with Fire
• Hit Hard... Hit Fast
• In the Line of Fire

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