Chad Hoffman,
Instructor and Coordinator of 401series.net,
College of Natural Resources
University of Idaho
Phone: (208) 885-7115
Email: chadh@uidaho.edu

Course Objectives

In this class we will explore the the purpose and limitations of both current and past approaches to fuels inventory and mapping, review field techniques of conducting a fuels inventory, discuss the ecological role of woody debris in terrestrial ecosystems, use the fuels characterization classification system (FCCS) to analyze fuels inventory data, and discuss the use of remote sensing in fuels mapping.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this Course Students will be able to:

1. Understand the conceptual framework behind fuels classification and mapping
2. Explain the linkages between coarse woody debris and other ecological functions
3. Describe common approaches to inventory and map wildland fuels.
4. Understand the assumptions and limitations to surface and canopy fuel estimations
5. Understand and explain the practical applications of the fuels characteristic classification system (FCCS).

Required Books

Their are no required text books for this course

Grading

Fuel Moisture Assignment	100
Surface fuel loading Assignment	100
Canopy Fuel loading Assignment	100
FCCS Assignment	100
Fuels Monitoring Guide	350
Introduction	50
Aha! Moments (4 x 50pts each)	200
Maximum possible points	1000

Assignments:

Fuel Moisture Assignment:

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Data

Surface Fuel Loading Assignment:

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Data

Canopy Fuel Loading Assignment:

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Data

FCCS Assignment:

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Data

Fuels Monitoring Guide:

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Aha! Moments

Throughout each topic in this course you may experience what is termed an "Aha!" moment. These are moments when something you have been reading or contemplating makes sense with an unexpected clarity. I will ask you to post on of your "Aha!' moments for different topics throughout the course. At the end of the semester I will also ask you to pick what you think is your best "Aha!" moment from this class.

For each Aha moment you should explain in some detail what the moment was, and why this moment seemed important to you in terms of your learning. In general I would like you to contemplate the experience and synthesize it within the context of other newly acquired knowledge.

You should spend some time on this activity since it is reflective and not reactive. It may be helpful to keep a journal of sorts throughout the class to document your aha moments (this is not required)

Your grad for the "Aha!" moments will be based mostly on completing the task but 20 percent will be based on writing style and your explanation of the moment. 

Note: I have implemented a peer review process based on a scale of 1-3 this year. I hope that you use this scale to let your peers know that you thought there idea was a great one. You can also leave a comment for them in your review. I hope this is a fun twist on the AHA moments.

Discussion and Aha! Moment Grading

Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated:

In this class, you must summarize, paraphrase, quote and reference sources to avoid plagiarism in your writing. Consistent with the policy of the Department of Forest Resources (http://www.its.uidaho.edu/forres/), plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism violates the code of academic conduct at the University of Idaho. Under UI policy, regulation O-2, "Consequences for academic dishonesty may be imposed by the course instructor. Such consequences may include but cannot exceed a grade of "F" in the course" (http://www.uidaho.edu/catalog). If you are accused of plagiarism, you must meet with the course instructor and the chair of the department to discuss the evidence, circumstances, and consequences. If you have indeed plagiarized text, you will receive 0 points on the assignment, you may fail the course and your unethical behavior will affect recommendations for jobs and graduate school.

Cite sources to support and lend credibility to your writing. Please be careful in citing sources for your ideas when you write. You should be aware that web-based searches for plagiarized text have become quite sophisticated. Even a sentence or two plagiarized in a long document is inexcusable. It is very tempting and easy to copy text directly, but it works against the educational process and is a form of theft.