Date: 06/04/2020

To: Environmental Defense Fund Marketing Team

From: Chas Porter

Subject: Forest Fire Education Curriculum

Distribution List: Marketing Team Members

This document describes the successful meeting that was held last week regarding the institution
of a curriculum that aims to educate the younger generation on the impact, dangers, and causes
of wildfires. In this meeting we discussed the actual content of the curriculum as well as the
method in which it will be implemented so that it can be understood and taken seriously. This
information will be used in classrooms all over the nation and possibly the world in an effort to
educate the younger generation so that the negative environmental impacts of wildfires decrease.

Importance of Forest Fire Education

Forest fires are known to wreak havoc all over the world every year. They cause millions of
dollars in damage annually and destroy the habitats of many animals, leaving them in serious
danger. The most important thing to note regarding wildfires is that they are primarily stoked by
human ignorance and carelessness. Many of them could be prevented if greater forest fire
education was available. This curriculum plan seeks to solve that issue to ensure that the general
public is educated on how they can prevent forest fires even at a young age.

Educational Curriculum

Information
In order to provide information to others
regarding forest fires, it is important to note the
statistics surrounding forest fires. It is easy to
simply state that forest fires are an issue, but
the statistical evidence of the severe damage
dealt by forest fires each year really emphasizes
this statement. Listed below is information that
is useful when considering how to inform the
general public on the severity of this issue and
what they can do about it.

1. Forest fires destroy a considerable

amount of land every year. For
instance, in 2011, 1.8 million acres of
land wasere destroyed by less than
7000 forest fires as shown in Figure 1 Figure 1: This graph represents the number of fires and acres burned
from the year 2000 to the year 2020 (Gleason).
 (Gleason). If you do the math, that means that on average, each forest fire destroys
over 250 acres of land. That is extremely significant when you consider the amount
of manpower required to fight a fire of such high caliber.
2. These types of fires are extremely difficult to fight.The difficulty of fighting such a fire
is also important to note. A large forest fire requires firefighters both on the ground
and in the air to work together in order to condense the fire. As one could imagine,
this requires a lot of advanced, expensive equipment that many areas of the country
cannot afford (Pyne 182-183). When this is occurs, equipment from another area of
the nation must be transported to the scene of the fire which takes time, allowing
the fire to spread exponentially.
3. Forest fires pose a real problem that will require real solutions if there will ever be real
change. Once the severity of forest fires is understood, thisa need for change can also
be understood. At that point, the causes of forest fires are important points to
mentionSolutions lie within reform to the way we currently operate, so it is important to
understand the main causes of forest fires. Eighty-Five percent of forest fires are
caused by humans. This can be due to negligent situations like tossing out cigarette
butts or unsafe firework practice, but also can be attributed to accidents on
occasion (“Wildfire Causes and Evaluation”). These statistics emphasize the point
that there is room to change and each individual can play an integral role in
sustaining that change.
4. This problem is fixable. There are practical steps that can be taken in order to make a
impactful changeAt this point, practical steps can be mentioned. This can include
making sure to properly dispose of cigarette butts or any other burning material
and pouring water on top of it before walking away. This can also include checking
surroundings before lighting a campfire or launching fireworks. Lastly, the public
can be better informed on it will be noted how to contact the proper authorities if a
fire is left unattended or a forest fire has started. This way, reaction forces can be
launched promptly and effectively.

Design
The design of this curriculum must be easy to
understand with many pictures explaining the
points being discussed as well as displaying
statistics that are important to understand.
Ideas on how to effectively do this are listed
below.
1. Any images or graphics shown
should include images of children
and young adults performing any
actions necessary so that the target
audience feels as though this material
is relevant to them. A representation
of this is shown in Figure 2.
2. In addition to this, Ppictures of forest
Figure 2: This image represents an example of what fire safety
fire damage and active forest fires learning material could look like.
should be included so the audience
 understands the severity of the issue. These images are not intended to scare the
audience, but simply remind them that this is a real issue and they very well might
encounter any of the discussed situations in their lives.
3. It is also important to note that Tthis simply will not be in the form of a PowerPoint
presentation or lecture, but rather an interactive lesson. The audience will have
access to worksheets and handouts that correspond with the material so that they
are able to properly follow along and engage in conversation, so they retain the
information that is being discussed.
4. TLastly, there will be a forest green and brown theme to appeal to their visual sense
and remind them of the beauty of nature while they are learning about the very
thing that destroys it.

Conclusion
The curriculum that was ironed out at this meeting will next be presented to various school
boards and hopefully be implemented this upcoming school year. The younger generation will
learn about the dangers, impacts, and causes of forest fires and will also develop an
understanding of what they individually can do in order to prevent forest fires from happening
anywhere near them. This information will be taught in a way that is simple, engaging,
interesting, and visually appealing so that the information is retained.

Recommendations
I would recommend forwarding all of this information to the correct governing officials so they
can be aware of the upcoming proposals. I would also suggest a meeting be scheduled for next
month between myself, the marketing team, and those governing officials so any questions can
be answered and they can fully understand the scope of our endeavor.I would recommend that
these changes first be implemented on the individual level. If we wish to see change in our
society, it has to start with us. I suggest our team dive deeper into the reality of forest fires to
ensure that everyone has a full understanding of the reality of this tragedy. We should also be
actively practicing the recommendations we are giving to the public. We should not be negligent
or apathetic when it comes to how we handle fire. I recommend our team begin designing
pamphlets and other handouts with relevant information that appeals to a young audience and
follows a well thought out design. Once this is completed, our team should present our findings
and material to a government panel so that this program can be implemented in schools.
 Sources
“After the Fire.” After the Fire | US Forest Service, www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/fire/after-
fire.

Gleason, and Enloe. “U.S. Wildfires.” National Climatic Data Center, www.ncdc.noaa.gov/societal-

impacts/wildfires/.

Pyne, Stephen J. Fire: Nature and Culture. Reaktion, 2012.

“Wildfire Causes and Evaluations (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/wildfire-causes-and-evaluation.htm.

“Wildfires in Siberia.” NASA, NASA, earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/79161/wildfires-in-siberia.