GEOG 512
Fall 2014
World on Fire
Instructor:
Dr. Allen Hope
Office:
SH 303C
Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
(and by appointment – hope1@mail.sdsu.edu)
Text:
1) Introduction to Fire in California (David Carle)
2) Assigned articles
Course Objectives and Approach
Wild-land fires are episodic modifiers of many ecosystems with potentially significant
consequences for related processes such as river flow and erosion. These fires are
often a serious threat to personal property and safety and future climate change may
enhance their frequency of occurrence and severity. This course will provide the
foundation for understanding wild-land fire processes and factors that influence fire
characteristics. An ecosystems approach is adopted to explore the controls over fire
regimes and the resulting impacts on the soils, water and vegetation recovery. Since
California shrublands are one of the most fire prone ecosystems in the world, primary
attention will be given to these ecosystems. The course will examine fires in other
shrubland ecosystems with similar characteristics to those found in California (e.g.,
Australia, South Africa). Fires in tropical forest and savanna ecosystems will be
explored to contrast fire processes in these locations with those of shrublands and to
highlight the global significance of wild-land fires.
The course requires you to integrate basic physics, biology, climate and human/social
behavior to address a complex environmental problem impacting humans and
ecosystems. The study of wild-land fires will help you develop the skills necessary to
deal with uncertainty in scientific theories/research findings and how to approach the
challenges associated with making environmental predictions. The analytical and
environmental modeling components of the course will be integrated with discussions
dealing with environmental decision and policy issues.
While the required texts will provide foundation material for the course, a significant
amount of material will be drawn from published articles that deal with the latest
developments in wild-land fire research. Exercises and the term paper will require you
to research specific topics in the field and report on your findings using standard journal
format. Graduate students will be required to make a number of presentations in class
dealing with selected research articles and the term paper and to complete a more
comprehensive and research-oriented term paper than that required of the
undergraduate students.
Evaluation
Undergraduate
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Paper
25%
30%
35%
10%
Graduate
25%
30%
30%
15% **
** Graduate students will also make presentations
The exams will contain questions requiring answers in written paragraph format. You
should be prepared to apply the concepts you learn in class to problems. It is your
responsibility to provide answers that are clear and respond directly to the questions.
1. All written exercises are to be typed.
2. You are required to work independently on class exercises.
3. No make-up exams (unless absence supported by documentation).
4. Graded exams will be reviewed in class. This is the only time to review your exam.
Exam dates (dates may change)
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
September 25
October 30
December 9
Exam returned December 11 at 8:00 AM
GEOG 512
Fall 2014
RESPONSIBILITIES & RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Take responsibility for your own success or failure to achieve the desired outcome in
this course.
2. Ask questions in class and be sure that you understand the concepts. Attempt to
answer questions in class; you may see them again sometime. This also helps me to
identify material that is not clear. Material is reviewed at the start of every class and not
in a “review session”.
3. To be able to do 1 & 2, you need to attend every class.
4. Read the text sections before the associated lecture.
5. Prepare for exams well in advance. I generally use paragraph-type questions that
focus on your understanding and ability to apply information.
6. Use my office hours/appointment throughout the semester to get clarification or
material re-explained.
7. Take good notes in class, material will come from a variety of sources.
GROUND RULES
These are intended to ensure a professional and courteous environment for everyone in
the class:
1. No eating or drinking (water OK) in class and no electronic devices.
2. Class starts promptly at 9:30 AM and since entering the classroom once the class
has started is disruptive, please do not enter after classroom after 9:30 AM. Your
continued enrolment in the class is contingent upon adhering to this requirement.
3. You are responsible for letting me know if material is not clear and needs to be reexplained.
(NOTE: 1 and 2 constitute disruptive behavior).
DIABILITY SERVICES
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473.
To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student
Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not
retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until
you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability
Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
GEOG 512
Fall 2014
COURSE OUTLINE
Course Outline
I. Fundamentals of Wild-Land Fires
A. Physics and chemistry of fire
B. Ignitions
C. Fuels
D. Weather and terrain
E. Spread over landscapes
II. Vegetation and Fires
A. Shrublands
B. Forests
C. Grasslands
D. Urban Interface
(Fire regimes, fuel characteristics, ignition sources, vegetation adaptations to fire)
III. Effect of Fires on Soils and Water Resources
A. Soils
B. Water
IV. Fires in Chaparral and Other Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems
A. Chaparral
1. Fuel characteristics
2. Soils
3. Water
4. Recovery patterns
B. South Africa
1. Characteristics of shrubland ecosystems
2. Fire and vegetation recovery characteristics
C. Europe
1. Characteristics of shrubland ecosystems
2. Fire and vegetation recovery characteristics
V. Fires in California Parks
A. Yosemite
B. Yellowstone
C. Human intervention
VI. Fires in the Amazon Basin
A. Human drivers
1. Economic
2. Government policy
B. Ecosystem characteristics
1. Vegetation and climate
2. Natural fire regimes
C. Modified fire regimes
VII. Fires in Savanna Ecosystems
A. Africa
1. Human drivers
2. Soils and water
B. Kruger National Park case study
1. Fire regimes
2. Experiments and management
3. Consequences for animals
VIII. Human Response (**Fouad)
A. Fire Risk
B. Field Methods
C. Remote Sensing
1. During fire events
2. Post-fire
D. Geographic Information Systems
E. Fire Databases
F. Fire spread models
1. Model inputs and structure
2. Uncertainty and limitations
3. Applications
G. Climate Change
1. Effects on climate
2. Driver of fire regimes