Fire, either as a natural occurrence or a management tool, can have beneficial effects on the environment, and its use offers opportunities for reducing fuel loads, disposing of slash, preparing seedbeds, thinning stands, increasing herbaceous plant production, increasing streamflow, and creating esthetic environments. Fire has been used for these purposes, to various extents, in southwestern ecosystems for decades. A review of studies on the effects of fire is presented, along with a discussion on related environmental, economical, and educational factors.