2/4/2025 11:55:21 PM	NRM 145A Course Outline as of Fall 2025	New Course (First Version)
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  NRM 145A	Title:  FIRE RESILIENT LVL1
Full Title:  Stewardship Practices for Wildfire Resilience: Level 1
Last Reviewed:11/25/2024

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	1.50	Lecture Scheduled	.50		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	8.75
Minimum	1.50	Lab Scheduled	4.00		8 min.	Lab Scheduled	70.00
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	4.50			Contact Total	78.75
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  17.50

Total Student Learning Hours: 96.25

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:

In this course, students will learn to apply ecological principles of land stewardship, restoration, and wildfire risk reduction towards creation of healthier, more resilient forests and working lands. This course includes training and practice in the proper use and maintenance of appropriate tools including chainsaws, wood chippers, brush cutters, firing devices, and hand tools. Students in this course must perform sustained and physically demanding work across various terrain and weather conditions. This is the first course in a two-part series in wildfire resilient land stewardship. The course will take place at SRJC's Shone Farm or another district-approved site. Specific site conditions, assignments, and skills emphasized may vary based on skill level and semester seasonality.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:
Course Completion or Current Enrollment in NRM 132 and concurrent enrollment in NRM 99I

Recommended Preparation:

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

In this course, students will learn to apply ecological principles of land stewardship, restoration, and wildfire risk reduction towards creation of healthier, more resilient forests and working lands. This course includes training and practice in the proper use and maintenance of appropriate tools including chainsaws, wood chippers, brush cutters, firing devices, and hand tools. Students in this course must perform sustained and physically demanding work across various terrain and weather conditions. This is the first course in a two-part series in wildfire resilient land stewardship. The course will take place at SRJC's Shone Farm or another district-approved site. Specific site conditions, assignments, and skills emphasized may vary based on skill level and semester seasonality.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:Course Completion or Current Enrollment in NRM 132 and concurrent enrollment in NRM 99I
Recommended:
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:		Inactive:
Area:
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
CSU Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Both Certificate and Major Applicable

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate safe and effective chainsaw operation to the Class A level set by the United States Forest Service.

2. Analyze and compare land stewardship practices as they relate to current site conditions and historic fire regimes.

3. Explain concepts and techniques of invasive species management to promote a healthy and wildfire resilient ecosystem.

 

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Discuss strategies, tools, and techniques of ecological land stewardship.  

2. Identify common methods and applications of Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping and navigation in the practice of ecological land stewardship.

3. Demonstrate safe, professional use and maintenance of relevant tools and equipment including chainsaws, brush cutters, wood chippers, and hand tools.

4. Understand how ecological fire regimes and fire suppression influence structure and composition of wildlands and the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).

5. Recommend appropriate techniques for management of invasive species.

6. Summarize basic concepts of fire ecology.

7. Understand basic principles of prescribed fire planning, including burn unit delineation, preparation, and patterns of ignition to achieve desired fuel reduction and ecological benefits.

8. Identify at least 10 California native species that are present in Sonoma County and at least one method of supporting the health of each.

9. Properly disassemble, perform maintenance, and reassemble a chainsaw.

10. Safely and effectively operate a brushcutter to manage woody vegetation in a forest understory.

11. Employ weather forecasts and air quality district information to determine safe and permissible conditions for burning piles.

Topics and Scope

I. Introduction to class site

     A. Natural history

    B. Cultural history & land acknowledgment

    C. Historic fire regime

    D. Ecological context: past, present, and future

    E. Federal, state, and local jurisdiction

II. Introduction to SRJC's Wildfire Resilience Program

    A. Inception

    B. Purpose

    C. Type of work

    D. Defining restoration

    E. Seasonal cycles of land stewardship techniques

III. Basic Fire Ecology

    A. Low severity fire

    B. High severity fire

    C. Fire's effect on ecosystem structure and function

IV. Principles and Techniques of Land Stewardship

    A. Site assessment

    B. Introduction to GPS mapping software

    C. Recognizing threats and vulnerabilities

    D. Identifying adaptation strategies and approaches

    E. Choosing management objectives

    F. Fuels management

         1. Thinning

         2. Hazard trees

         3. Shaded fuel breaks

         4. Burn piles

         5. Prescribed fire

    G. Invasive species management

    H. Ecosystem restoration

    I. Planning and permitting

    J. Funding mechanisms

V. Operation and Maintenance of Relevant Tools and Equipment

    A. Safety and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

    B. Chainsaws

    C. Brush cutters

    D. Wood chippers

    E. Hand Tools

         1. loppers

         2. Hand saws

         3. Axes

         4. Hatchets

         5. Weed wrench

VI. Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

    A. Basic concepts

    B. Topographic influences

    C. Fuels

    D. Weather

    E. Wildland fire behavior and safety

VII. Use of Prescribed Fire

    A. Permitting and notification requirements

    B. Preliminary field work

    C. Weather conditions

    D. Tools, techniques, and equipment

    E. Hazards and safety associated with fire

 

All topics are covered in both the lecture and lab portions of the course.

Assignments:

Lecture-Related Assignments:

1. Read periodicals, handouts, and textbooks (10 - 20 pages per week)

2. Quizzes (1 - 4)

3. Written activity log capturing hours and tasks for every week.

4. Final Project: Semester reflection

 

Lab-Related Assignments:

1. Chainsaw disassembly, maintenance, and reassembly exercise

2. Field work including chainsaw and brush cutter operation

3. Plant identification exercises (1 - 4)

4. Facilitation of After Action Review (AAR) at the end of a class session (1 - 4)

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 10 - 20%
Activity log, final project
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 20 - 30%
AAR assignments, Final Project
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 40 - 60%
Chainsaw exercise, Field work, Plant ID exercise.
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 10 - 20%
Quizzes
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 10%
Participation

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Forest Management Handbook for Small-Parcel Landowners in the Sierra Nevada and Southern Cascade Range. Stine, Ostoja, and McMorrow. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. December 2021.

A reference manual for managing sudden oak death in California.Tedmund J. Swiecki, Elizabeth A. Bernhardt. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. December 2013. (classic).

Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior S-190, Student Workbook. National Wildfire Coordinating Group. March 2006. (classic).

Wildland Fire Chain Saws, S-212, Student Workbook. National Wildfire Coordinating Group. December 2012.(classic).

Tending the Land for Fire Resilience in Sonoma County https://tendingtheland.org

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