In the aftermath of the Greater Yellowstone Area fires of 1988, scientists from all across North America recognized the once in a lifetime research opportunities these fires presented. For a host of reasons, the Yellowstone fires were unique, due largely to their grand scale and their awesome behavior, and the fact they burned habitats that had heretofore been considered nonflammable. Early on, researchers predicted major advances could be made in our knowledge about fire in montane ecosystems if a major scientific committment were made by the agencies and academic institutions. The scientists could foresee that the lessons of fire could then be used by fire managers and planners, and by ecologists and educators, to guide resource decision-making in the future. Hundreds of researchers from a breadth of scientific disciplines participated in the process that resulted in this synopsis of postfire research needs for the greater Yellowstone. They identified 147 areas they believed merited scientific attention and estimated that if all were funded, the total cost of research would amount to $ 22.2 million dollars. A group of scientists and managers selected 75 projects deemed the highest priority science needs and initial research allocations were distributed according to this ranking. As of the date of this report, about one-third of total projects proposed have received some financial assistance from a variety of government, foundation and private sources.