Over the last 40 years, prescribed fire programs on National Forest lands have grown from relatively insignificant to a major emphasis area of natural resource management. During this same period, social, economic, and cultural values have greatly changed. The public's environmental awareness has likewise grown. How prescribed fire programs in Arkansas and Oklahoma have fared during this time is a subject of some interest. Scientific research in fire ecology and fire history has aided managers, enabling them to better explain the need for prescribed fire programs.