A management ignited wildland fire that burns under specified conditions where the fire is confined to a predetermined area to produce the fire behavior and fire characteristics required to attain planned fire treatment and resource management objectives. (National Wildfire Coordinating Group/Fire Research And Management Exchange System)

Background: Uses for prescribed fire include hazardous fuel reduction, ecological restoration and maintenance, perpetuating fire-dependent species, controlling insects and disease, improving wildlife habitat, improving forage for grazing, enhancing appearance for recreation, and improving access.

Changes in the "natural" fire pattern as a result of attempted fire exclusion have led to dramatic decreases in fire-tolerant or fire-dependent species. Many threatened, endangered, or sensitive plants are understory or midstory plants and require fire to become established and survive. Prescribed fire can be used to restore or perpetuate these fire-dependent species. Prescribed burning, however, does not necessarily help perpetuate these species if fires are not conducted during the same season and at the same frequency and intensity at which the site historically burned. The individual fire ecology of a species, and the fire regime of the communities where it is found, must therefore be understood before a fire can be prescribed to benefit that species.

Prescribed fire is a complex tool and should be used only by those trained in its use. Proper diagnosis and detailed planning are needed for every area where burning is contemplated. The incomplete assessment of any factor can pose serious liability questions should the fire escape or its smoke cause damage. A prescribed fire that does not accomplish it's intended objectives is a loss of both time and money and it may be necessary to reburn as soon as sufficient fuel accumulates. Some resource management objectives can be met with a single fire, some require several fires in quick succession, and some can only be accomplished by burning perodically.

*Exerpts From: Kennard, D.K. & Wade, D. 2005. Prescribed Fire, Uses of Prescribed Fire, Planning and Conducting Prescribed Burns. In: The Forest Encyclopedia Network. http://www.forestencyclopedia.net, Encyclopedia Identification: 6064, 814, 816. [Date accessed: July 18, 2005].