Online Fire Courses
ENVS 579 Introduction to Environmental Regulations
3 credits
Interpretation and implementation of local, state and federal environmental rules; introduction to environmental regulatory process; topics include regulatory aspects of environmental impact assessment, water pollution control, air pollution control, solid and hazardous waste, resource recovery and reuse, toxic substances, pesticides, occupational safety and health, radiation, facility siting, environmental auditing and liability. Additional projects/assignments required for graduate credit.
Typically offered during the fall semester.
FOR 451 Fuels Inventory and Management
3 credits
Tools, quantitative analysis, and approaches for inventory and management of fuels for wildland fires over large, diverse areas in forests, woodlands, shrubland and grasslands. Critically review and synthesize relevant scientific literature.
Typically offered during the spring semester.
FOR 454/554 Air Quality, Pollution, and Smoke
3 credits
Assessment of the controls and drivers of emission processes and impacts on air quality from fires, industry and other natural sources. Overview of the combustion and emission process, how these emissions impact the "quality of air," and what models exist to monitor the emission. Other topics to include: recent EPA and other guidelines for smoke management planning, attainment issues, atmospheric transport and deposition processes. Additional work required for graduate credit.
Typically offered during the spring and summer semesters.
FOR 526 Fire Ecology
3 credits
Fire-related ecology of plant and animal species in wildlands; effects of fire occurrence and suppression on physical environment, landscapes and processes in both natural and managed ecosystems.
Typically offered during the fall semester.
FOR 546 Science Synthesis and Communication
3 credits
This course is an online course only. Critically review science literature and write both brief and in-depth syntheses to address applied questions in science and management. Learn best practices for summarizing and communicating science effectively. Discuss challenges for application of science in management. Examples will focus on wildland fire science and management.
Typically offered during the spring semester.
FOR 557 Advanced Fire Behavior
3 credits
Understand the processes that control fire behavior in forest and rangelands, including combustion, emissions and heat release, and related fire effects. Use theory and advanced knowledge with scientific literature and case studies to critically assess the assumptions and limitations of limitations of surface and crown fire models, including the varying influences of fuels, terrain and environmental conditions.
Typically offered during the fall semester.
FOR 584 Natural Resource Policy Development
3 credits
The development of natural resource policy with emphasis on the policy process at the federal level in the U.S.; the role of and interrelationships between staff, committees, agencies and elected officials; the relationship of science and scientists with policy and politicians in the development of natural resource policy, including preparation of testimony related to natural resource science and policy issues; implementation of policy within the natural resource agencies and judicial interpretation of major natural resource policies in the U.S. Recommended preparation is an upper-division course in natural resource and/or environmental policy.
Typically offered during the fall semester.
FOR 587 Wildland Fire Policy
2 credits
This course is an online course only. Relationships between fire science and management and the federal laws and regulations that affect fire management in wildland ecosystems; the politics of wildland fire; and the effects of wildland fire on wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities. Recommended preparation is an upper division course in natural resource, environmental policy or FOR 584.
Typically offered during the spring semester.
NRS 574 Environmental Politics and Policy
3 credits
Political and institutional context for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of U.S. environmental policy.
Typically offered during the summer semester.
NRS 576 Environmental Project Management and Decision Making
2 credits
Integrated, interdisciplinary approaches to environmental project and program management and decision making. Emphasis on environmental planning techniques, scenario development, analysis, and application of geospatial tools such as GIS and remote sensing. Direct experience and basic skills for project and program development and evaluation.
Typically offered during the Spring semester.
NRS 588 NEPA in Policy and Practice
3 credits
In-depth review of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), its legislative background and history, significant case law and Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Guidelines. Students will review examples of agency Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements. Students will evaluate whether specific documents "meet the intent or spirit" of NEPA, compare state vs. federal NEPA regulations and review at least one federal agency’s NEPA procedures.
Typically offered during the summer semester.
REM 407/510 GIS Application in Fire Ecology and Management
2 credits
Introduces applications of GIS in fire ecology, research and management including incident mapping, fire progression mapping, GIS overlay analysis, remote sensing fire severity assessments, fire atlas analysis and the role of GIS in the Fire Regime Condition Class concept and the National Fire Plan. Additional assignment/projects required for graduate credit.
Typically offered during the spring semester.
REM 429 Landscape Ecology
3 credits
Ecological relationships and conservation issues for biotic communities across the landscape, including spatial and temporal dynamics and patterns, and importance of landscapes in maintenance of ecosystem diversity and function. Recommended preparation is a familiarity with spreadsheet programs and problem solving using computers.
Typically offered during the spring semester.
REM 440 Restoration Ecology
3 credits
The ecological restoration of disturbed ecosystems. Fundamental principles from ecology, ecophysiology and community ecology are used in a systems ecology approach to examine how the structure and function of damaged ecosystems can be restored — with the goal of establishing a stable and self-sustaining ecosystem.
Typically offered during the spring semester.
REM 456 Integrated Rangeland Management
3 credits
Management strategies for integrating grazing with other natural resource values such as wildlife, water, timber, recreation and aesthetics; emphasis on herbivore ecology including ecological impacts of grazing, ways to manage grazing and nutritional relationships between plants and free-ranging ungulates on rangeland, pastureland and forest ecosystems. Recommended preparation is REM 151.
Typically offered during the spring semester.
REM 459 Rangeland Ecology
2 credits
Application of ecological principles in rangeland management; stressing response and behavior of range ecosystems to various kinds and intensity of disturbance and management practice. Recommended preparation is courses in general ecology (e.g., REM 221), technical writing (e.g., ENGL 317) and vegetation assessment (e.g., REM 410 or FOR 274) or Permission. Students are encouraged to also enroll in REM 460 for field experience in collecting vegetation data that will be used in this course.
Typically offered during the fall semester.
REM 507 Landscape and Habitat Dynamics
3 credits
Students explore landscape change occurring a variety of spatial and temporal scales, including global change, succession, disturbance events and change induced by humans. Via scientific readings, models and spatial analysis students will learn how to quantify landscape change and how a change in environmental conditions and disturbance regimes may affect the composition of landscapes, specifically plant and animal habitats. Recommended preparation is courses in ecology, statistics and GIS.
Typically offered during the fall semester of odd years.
For More Information
For questions about courses and the Certificate in Fire Ecology, Management and Technology, email cnr-grad-studies@uidaho.edu or call 208-885-1505.
If you are looking for the Master of Natural Resources (MNR) program, please visit our MNR page.