Cascadia Conservation District

Participants are provided with easy-to-understand/implement sources of information and activities about basic forest/fire/climate ecology. We provide them with an understanding of the basic storyline: what is there, what are the variables, how have different species adapted to that particular niche/location (especially fire and climate), how is everything connected, how that balance is interrupted, what role human management has affected the balance, and what are the possible solutions that will help provide sustainability/balance? There is an understanding that no one solution will work all the time forever. We provide an introduction to the Project Learning Tree curriculum and integrate those activities that specifically relate to climate and fire. Each participant also receives a flash drive with all the activities on it, along with background information that both teachers and students need to understand the basic concepts.

Much of our training involved Project Learning Tree materials.

Students come to the forest or shrub steppe for a full day field experience with local forestry and fire experts. Students take an interpretive hike, build their own landscape model and plant a matchstick forest then learn which types of forests are more likely to burn and why. Other education stations include and fuels reduction and chipping demo by the local Fire District, forest model dioramas with a local artist, and more based on expert availability.