Prescribed burning research on the Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana spanned the last five decades and led to a greater understanding of fire behavior and the importance of burning in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill.) forests. Early research found that biennial burning in May favored the growth of longleaf pine seedlings. However, burning over several decades more greatly influenced diversity and productivity of herbaceous plant communities than burning affected long-term pine yields. Thinning sustains productive herbaceous plant understories in older stands because herbage yields decrease about 90 kg/ha with each m^2/ha increase in overstory basal area. In recent work, the use of container planting stock and a low incidence of brown-spot needle blight infection (caused by Mycosphaerella dearnessii M. E. Barr.) have been important in establishing longleaf pine. Emergence from the grass stage and growth of sapling longleaf pines have been better on recently harvested and prepared sites than on grass-dominated range partly because herbaceous plants are more competitive with longleaf seedlings than small woody plants and prescribed fire intensities are greater on grassy sites than on brushy sites. Differences in fuel types and rapid regrowth of vegetation both influence how prescribed burning affects long-term fuel loads.