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Bushfire & Climate (FRST90025)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
February
Overview
Availability | February |
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Fees | Look up fees |
The course covers the fundamentals of forest fire behaviour and the factors affecting it including fuels, weather, topography, fire scale and climatic conditions. This knowledge will be the underlying understanding required for the planning and execution of prescribed burning for land management and to understand the fundamentals of wildfire suppression strategies and tactics.
Intended learning outcomes
By the end of the subject students should:
- Have an understanding of the importance of fuel characteristics including composition and structure on forest fire behaviour. In particular, an understanding of the importance of fuel moisture, fuel availability, fine fuels, live fuels, coarse fuels, fuel accumulation and decomposition processes and assessment and mapping of fuels.
- Have an understanding of the fundamentals of fire behaviour, in particular, the processes of pyrolysis, combustion, and heat transfer. At a broader level, the effects of fuel, weather, topography, fire scale, and spotting on fire behaviour, how to use fire behaviour prediction models, computer based models and the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to make fire behaviour predictions.
- Have an understanding of the effects of climate and weather patterns on fire occurrence and behaviour. Learn how to use weather observations and forecasts to predict fire behaviour.
- Have a knowledge of the science of prescribed burning including the importance of lighting patterns, fuel moisture, ignition technologies, and fire impacts.
- Have an understanding of fire suppression strategies, fire suppression tactics, suppression tools and incident control structures.
Last updated: 11 October 2023
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 11 October 2023
Assessment
Additional details
Several small daily online “quizzes” (equivalent to 1000 words) – 20%,
Bushfire prediction assignment (2000 words) - 40% due 1-2 weeks after the intensive subject,
Bushfire energy assignment (2000 words) – 40% due 7 weeks after the intensive subject.
Last updated: 11 October 2023
Dates & times
- February
Principal coordinator Trent Penman Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 70 hours comprising of 1x five-day field trip in first week at the Creswick campus (35 hours practical work equivalent) and 35 hours lectures (12 hours), computer practicals (9 hours) and workshops (14 hours) during second week at the Parkville Campus. Total time commitment 170 hours Pre teaching start date 29 January 2018 Pre teaching requirements This subject involves field trips. This subject has pre-teaching a pre-teaching period: A brief review of literature and other sources to identify and assess the relative importance of sources and sinks of energy for bushfires will be required by the first day of teaching and will form part of the bushfire energy assignment due at the end of the intensive teaching period. Students will be asked to contribute to travel, accommodation and food expenses while in the field of week 1. Teaching period 12 February 2018 to 23 February 2018 Last self-enrol date 31 January 2018 Census date 16 February 2018 Last date to withdraw without fail 16 March 2018 Assessment period ends 13 April 2018 February contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours.
Additional delivery details
This subject involves field trips.
This subject has pre-teaching a pre-teaching period: A brief review of literature and other sources to identify and assess the relative importance of sources and sinks of energy for bushfires will be required by the first day of teaching and will form part of the bushfire energy assignment due at the end of the intensive teaching period.
Last updated: 11 October 2023
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
None
- Subject notes
This subject can be taken as part of the Graduate Certificate in Bushfire Planning and Management.
- Incidental costs
Students will be asked to contribute to travel, accommodation and food expenses while in the field of week 1.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Last updated: 11 October 2023