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Fire Ecology and Management, Undergraduate Certificate

This undergraduate certificate is designed to provide a strong background for students interested in studying fire or working in natural resources on fire management and general land management issues.

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Requirements Accordion Open

  • To receive an undergraduate certificate (at least 15 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.
     

    Federal financial aid is not available for some certificates if the certificate is pursued and completed as a stand-alone certificate (i.e., not completed concurrently with a degree program). See the "Details" tab for additional information.

Overview Accordion Closed

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion18
Major GPA2.0

Purpose Statement

This undergraduate certificate is designed to provide a strong background for students interested in studying fire or working in natural resources on fire management and general land management issues.

The content studied includes the basics physical and chemical properties of fire, fire effects on ecosystems, management issues surrounding wildland fire, fire behavior modeling and monitoring and the interaction of climate, fire regimes and management. Skills developed include developing and implementing a monitoring program related to fire effects, the use of several different fire behavior and fire effects models, writing a fuels specialist report and a fire monitoring plan. Completion of this certificate with the Forestry B.S. degree meets the academic qualifications for the Fire Ecologist Certification through the Association for Fire Ecology.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this certificate, students will have:

  • An understanding of the physical process of fire and factors that influence surface and crown fire spread, extreme fire behavior and what fire danger rating is.
  • An understanding and the basic use of terminology and fire models used in fire management.
  • An understanding of fire regimes and fire effects in a variety of ecological systems.
  • An understanding of the philosophical, historical, legal, ecological, social and cultural aspects of land management and how that relates to fire management.
  • An understanding of monitoring, the adaptive management process, and the components of a monitoring program.
  • An understanding of sampling, variation, standard deviation, p-values and hypothesis testing.
  • An understanding of different types of experiments, independence, confounding factors and the basics of experimental design.
  • An understanding of different sampling methods and different federal fire monitoring programs.

Details Accordion Closed

Certificate Requirements
  • Take the following 18 units with a Grade of 'C' or better:
    At least 11 units must be completed at Northern Arizona University.

  • Ecology (4 units)

    • FOR 313
  • Measurement, Analysis and Technology (4 units)

    • FOR 449
  • Fire Ecology (3 units)

    • Select from the following (3 units):
      • FOR 451, FOR 551
  • Fuel Management (4 units)

    • FOR 315
  • Management, Planning, and Policy (3 units)

    • Select from the following (3 units):
      • FOR 434, FOR 445
  • FOR 251 is not a requirement for this certificate; however, it is a prerequisite for FOR 449 and FOR 451.

  • This certificate may only be pursued and completed concurrently with a degree program. This certificate is not available as a stand-alone certificate.

  • Students enrolled in this certificate may not enroll in or pursue the following due to the number of overlapping units:

    • Fire and Forest Management Professional, Undergraduate Certificate
Additional Information
  • Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

Availability Accordion Closed

  • Flagstaff

directory photo
Andrea E Thode
Professor
School of Forestry
Andi.Thode@nau.edu
+1 928 523-5457
Southwest Forestry Sciences Complex , room 200
Would you like to understand fire behavior, prediction, and management? This certificate is ideal if you are a student or fire professional interested in studying the ecological role of fire on:
  • soils
  • watersheds
  • air
  • flora
  • fauna

Track 1 - Undergraduate forestry students

With this certificate, you gain knowledge and skills in the theory and practice of wildland fire management. With this program of study, you can plan the course sequence and view options to complete the certificate.

Track 2 - Federal Agency 401-Series students

This certificate is specifically designed to meet federal agency 401-series requirements. Fire professionals pursuing this certificate must be enrolled in the Federal Agency Training Group (FFAT). Find more information on current courses, enrollment, and application process for this certificate. Complete course information is also available.
School of Forestry
Location
Building 82
Southwest Forest Science Complex
200 East Pine Knoll Drive
Flagstaff, Arizona 86011
Mailing Address
PO Box 15018
Flagstaff, Arizona 86011
Email
forestryinfo@nau.edu
Phone
928-523-3031
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