Lesson Overview: In this activity, students use a physical model to learn how the vertical arrangement of fuels affects the potential for fires to spread into tree crowns. This activity applies mainly to forests, shrublands, and woodlands.

Lesson Goal: Increase students’ understanding of the relationship between fuel arrangement and vertical fire spread, especially in forests, shrublands, and woodlands.

Objectives:

• Students can design a model tree and assess its ability to “survive” a surface fire.