Through the Fire

• This article and linked video describes the 2021 Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon, the benefits of dry forest restoration, and how those benefits became apparent during the aforementioned wildfire.
• Students will learn that the fire was started by lightning and burned for over a month, but that the ecological thinning and prescribed burning in some areas minimized the damage of wildfires.

Positives

• The video is well-produced and informative.
• The article is concise and thought-provoking.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should understand what forest restoration is and why it's important.
• Students should know the terms ecological thinning, prescribed fire, and severity.
  

Differentiation

• This resource allows students to evaluate how the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the Klamath Tribes are addressing the social problems caused by wildfires.
• After viewing the resource, the teacher could lead a classroom discussion on why dry forest restoration is not more prevalent in the United States.
• Science classes can use this resource for lessons about ecological succession, forest management, ecological benefits of small fires, and how climate change will affect the frequency and intensity of forest fires.