Introduction to Wildland Fire Ecology
This Course is Part of a Micro-credential
This is the first course of the Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Ecology and Management micro-credential. Students must successfully complete this course before the starting the second course Wildland Fire and Landscapes.
ABOUT THIS COURSE
Participants are first introduced to the basics of wildland fire ecology, the interaction of vegetation, topography, and climate that results in wildfire occurrence and behaviour in British Columbia. The course builds upon these basic concepts to provide learners with the tools to identify differences in fire regimes and drivers of change in fire regimes throughout BC.
OFFERED BY:
OUTCOMES
- Describe the general role of fuels, topography, and weather (i.e., the ‘fire triangle’) on fire behaviour and fire effects.
- Explain fire regimes and describe how they vary throughout British Columbia.
- Identify and explain similarities and differences in Indigenous and western concepts of fire regimes.
- Professionals with a university degree or college diploma in a related discipline
- Practicing environmental and resource professionals: agrologists, biologists, fire ecologists, firefighters, fire and forest technicians, foresters, landscape and forest managers, and urban or landscape planners
- Land managers employed in forestry, agriculture, land development, and wildfire resiliency
- Different levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal, and Indigenous)
- Conservation organizations and agencies
- Individuals seeking employment in an environmental field
- Post-secondary students seeking to gain practical experience
Prerequisites:
- This non-credit learning opportunity has no prerequisites
- This learning opportunity is designed for adult learners; participants must be 18 years or older
- Topics will be presented with no expectation of prior knowledge
- The language of instruction is English
Tuition: $1000
For details on refunds and enrollment deadlines, please see Policy & Resources.
Dates:
Sep 09, 2025 to Oct 07, 2025 (First intake)
Jan 07, 2026 to Feb 18, 2026 (Second intake)
Time Commitment:
30 hours
Delivery Mode:
Online, Asynchronous
Structure:
This course includes 15 hours of asynchronous instruction and 5-hours of learning activities.
Technology Requirements:
- Access to a computer with a recent operating system, web browser and updated version of Zoom
- High-speed internet connection
- Microphone, webcam, and headphones or speaker
Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais
Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Geographic Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, where he leads the Earth Observation & Spatial Ecology Lab. He serves as the chair of the Geospatial Information Sciences program and teaches courses in Geographic Information Science.
Dr. Bourbonnais is also a co-director of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence and member of the Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services, as well as the Center for Environmental Assessment Research.
He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Victoria, with research focusing on fire science, statistical modeling, GIS, and remote sensing to investigate how wildlife populations and ecosystems respond to human activity and changing disturbance regimes. His work integrates satellite data and artificial intelligence to develop innovative tools for fire risk assessment and ecological resilience.
Prior to joining UBC Okanagan in 2018, Dr. Bourbonnais gained extensive operational experience as a wildland firefighter with the wildfire rappel program in Alberta and Parks Canada, and as a Conservation Officer with Parks Alberta. These experiences continue to shape his research and teaching.
For more information, visit Dr. Bourbonnais’s Google Scholar profile.
Upon successful completion of the full requirements of the Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Ecology and Management micro-credential, learners are awarded a UBC Okanagan Letter of Proficiency (a non-credit credential).
The credential is provided in paper format. Learners will also receive a verifiable digital badge (which has descriptive metadata about the learning achievement) for sharing through digital channels.