The impact of fire is staggering. Last week’s Angora wildfire at Lake Tahoe burned some 3,100 acres and 329 structures, and required assistance from 364 fire fighters. The early figures from Utah’s Neola North fire show that blaze already has scorched some 35,000 acres and taxed the resources of more than 700 weary firefighters. In addition, there are 14 other large, uncontained fires currently burning around the nation; the 2007 fire season quickly is heating up for a record burn year.
Scientific projections show that the size, severity and cost of fires will continue to increase, especially in the forests and rangelands of the northern Rocky Mountains. In 2006 alone, some 9 million acres burned around the nation and the U.S. government spent $1 billion on fire suppression.
The University of Idaho stepped up to meet the growing demand for highly trained fire professionals who can make sound decisions about fire prevention, suppression and management by creating the nation’s first fire ecology and management bachelor’s degree. It welcomes its first students in August 2007.
“Our program will teach students how to balance the benefits there may be from fires with the impacts and public perceptions of the fires,” said Penny Morgan, University of Idaho professor of forest resources. “This is more than fire suppression. It’s about managing fires and making decisions that have implications for wildlife, aesthetics and economics.”
As the only program in the nation focusing on wildland fire, students pursuing this degree will learn about fire ecology and management in forests and rangelands.
“I’m happy to hear the University of Idaho has developed a new fire ecology and management degree program. A bachelor of science degree program such as this is an excellent way to meet federal fire professional requirements,” said Dave Koch, training officer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Students in the program will learn how to assess potential fire hazard, understand how and why fires ignite and spread, and develop fuels-management practices to protect people and property.
Students will develop real-life proposals for prescribed burns and assess the ecological effects of fire and the potential for invasive species. Many will gain valuable experience working as fire fighters and fire managers while they are students.
“Within four years, we expect to graduate some 80 new professionals from this degree program,” said Morgan. “They will be in demand for leadership positions within federal and state government agencies, in non-profit organizations and in consulting and other businesses. This demand will continue well beyond the next decade.”
Graduates will be trained to work as leaders in fuels management, fire prevention, fire suppression, fire management and related fields.
Jointly sponsored by the Departments of Rangeland Ecology and Management and Forest Resources, this degree will bolster the university’s 30-year old fire program and support the institution’s land-grant mission to help the state and region achieve a sustainable future in natural resources.
The University of Idaho currently provides courses and programs that allow fire professionals to meet the Interagency Fire Program Management 401 Standards requirements, which addresses firefighter safety and professionalism in fire management programs. The university also offers 18 distance education courses, two online certificates and an online master’s degree.
The new fire ecology and management degree program now is open for fall registration. For more information, visit www.cnr.uidaho.edu/wildlandfire.
About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Its high academic performers include 42 National Merit Scholars and a 2006-07 freshman class with an average high school grade point average of 3.42. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
