This activity gives students an opportunity to map the forest, calculate whether or not if qualifies as old-growth, and—most importantly—run around off trail.
Use this tool to help students answer the questions: How does the fuel structure affect a fire climbing to the tree canopy? What is the risk of a crown fire in this area based on its fuel structure?
These maps should allow you to piece together when certain areas were burned in Yosemite Valley. Not one map holds all the information, so if this interests you, I would look at each map. Some files are a bit older (2004), but two are updated to 2012...
This document contains background information on wildland fire, wildland/urban interface, and fire effects on the environment. It contains links to extension material on these topics.
The blindfolded “fire keeper” is trying to protect the object at their feet by listening for the other students who are trying to take it. Fire stealers attempt to take the object (“fire”) without being heard.
This Yosemite map shows fire history in the park by decade from 1930 to 2013. It also shows Stanislaus National Forest and Sierra National Forest from 1908-2013.
These cards show three photos of fires in Yosemite National Park: a crown fire during the Rim Fire in 2013, a low-burning fire during the Avalanche Fire in 2011, and the back burn behind the Crane Flat campus during the Rim Fire.