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Fire in the Australian Landscape (FRST20015)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
Australian ecosystems are inextricably linked to fire and adapted to specific fire regimes. The subject explores the role of fire in contemporary Australian landscapes.
Combustion is the result of physical and chemical processes occurring at multiple scales. Students will be taught the fundamentals of combustion. This knowledge will then be extended to measuring and analysing fire behaviour at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Students will also learn the importance of climate, landscape patterns and fire feedbacks in determining the diversity of fire regimes (intensity, frequency, seasonality and extent of fires) under current and past climates.
Students will be taught the fundamentals of fire ecology and the range of approaches to managing biodiversity in flammable ecosystems.
Fire management requires consideration of a wide range of assets in the landscapes. Students will be introduced to the range of approaches to fire management, including indigenous land management, and the ability of each to protect or enhance the things communities value.
Lectures, tutorials and field trips will be used to develop and apply these skills.
Intended learning outcomes
By the end of the subject, students should be able to:
- Explain the physics and chemistry of combustion.
- Analyse the key drivers of landscape fire behaviour and fire regimes.
- Use tools to predict the spread of landscape fires.
- Distinguish factors affecting fire intensity, frequency, size, patchiness and seasonality.
- Explain the ecological impacts of fire and the extent to which management can moderate them.
- Evaluate the potential changes to fire regimes under future climates and whether these can be altered by fire management.
Generic skills
- High level ability to synthesize and critically evaluate information from a range of sources
- Ability to organise and evaluate quantitative data
- High level ability to apply theory to practical problems
Last updated: 15 February 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
One Of:
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
BIOL10001 | Biology of Australian Flora & Fauna | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ECOL20003 | Ecology | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
FRST20014 | Forests in a Global Context | September (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ENST20001 | Human Behaviour and Environment | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
GEOG20009 | Landscapes and Diversity | No longer available |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
ENVS10001 | Natural Environments | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LARC10001 | Natural History | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
BOTA20002 | Plant Biodiversity | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
GEOG20001 | Society and Environments | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
FRST30002 | Fire in the Australian Landscape | No longer available |
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: 15 February 2024
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Five practical reports, due in weeks 1, 3, 6, 10, 12 (10% per practical report)
| From Week 1 to Week 12 | 50% |
Written Assignment based on field trip
| Week 12 | 50% |
Last updated: 15 February 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Trent Penman Coordinator Jane Cawson Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 52 hours; 11 x 2 hr lectures, 11 x 2 hr Practicals, 1 x 8 hr day field trip (week 7) Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 August 2020 to 1 November 2020 Last self-enrol date 14 August 2020 Census date 21 September 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 16 October 2020 Assessment period ends 27 November 2020 Semester 2 contact information
Last updated: 15 February 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Recommended texts and other resources
Bradstock, Ross A., Jann E. Williams, and Malcolm A. Gill, eds. Flammable Australia: the fire regimes and biodiversity of a continent. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
- Incidental costs
Students maybe be asked to contribute to, travel, and food expenses while in the field.
- Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- 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.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 15 February 2024