Despite a half century of observation and data gathering, our knowledge of fire ecology in eastern hardwood forests is, for the most part, rudimentary. Little work has been done on measuring time/temperature profiles of fires, surface heat transfer coefficients, or insulating properties of hardwood bark. Although numerous problems remain, significant advances have been made in our ability to measure fire behavior and its variance. By relating fire intensity to observed autecological effects such as mortality, injury, sprouting, and reproduction, we will be able to conduct replicatable studies of these processes. Finally, by combining a systems approach with advanced statistical techniques and more rigorous ecological descriptors, we may be able to gain insights into underlying processes that control the responses of plant communities to fire. Such knowledge will better enable us to achieve desirable objectives in hardwood forests through prescribed fire. © Society of American Foresters, Bethesda, MD. Abstract reproduced by permission.