From the Introduction ... 'Grand Teton National Park, in northwestern Wyoming, is a natural area of the National Park System with widely known outstanding scenic qualities, high levels of summer tourism, recreational use by local residents, and fire adapted vegetation. Much promise exists for carrying out a program of fire and vegetation management appropriate to a 'natural area.' Such a program was initiated in 1972, and progress is being made, but the greatest challenge remains for the future. Grand Teton illustrates a wide range of fire management problems, the solutions for which are not yet fully apparent....The vegetation of the park consists of a mosaic of forest and non-forest plant communities. The upland forests of the valley, Jackson Hole (elevation 6,500-7,000), are dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), or aspen (Populus tremuloides). These species also occur at higher elevations in the Teton Range. Old-growth Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) stands occur in various localities along the base of the Teton Range. Spruce also occurs throughout the mountain range at elevations up to 10,000 ft., interspersed among forests dominated by subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and meadows. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) dominates open forests of many sites near timberline. Most of the non-forested area of Jackson Hole is dominated by big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), interspersed with grasses and herbs....Scientific investigations on the fire history and ecological role of fire in Grand Teton were initiated by the National Park Service in 1970. Progress to date is summarized by Loope (1971), Loope and Gruell (1973), and Gruell and Loope (1974).'From Initial Steps in Management of Fire and Vegetation in Grand Teton ... 'The natural ecological role of fire in Grand Teton National Park is now fairly clear -- at least in broad outline. The most pressing problem is to manage the park taking this into account. Additional ecological research is desirable and is in progress, the the critical needs at this point seem to be: (1) to determine how application of fire can best be accomplished to provide for perpetuation of natural ecosystems while simultaneously providing for visitor safety and protection of private property; (2) to perfect methods of applying fire to ecosystems and to apply them; and (3) to communicate to the public the need for the fire management program and to apply fire in such a manner that the program is socially and politically acceptable.'From the Summary ... 'Grand Teton's fire management program attempts to restore fire to as natural a role as possible in a natural area unit of the National Park System where fire has a major natural role, where fire suppression has been remarkably successful in this century, and where considerable human encroachment exists. The program calls for allowing lightning fires to burn in natural fire zones encompassing almost half the park and for continued suppression of fires in the remainder of the park as dictated by considerations of human safety and protection of property. Limited prescribed burning in representative examples of major fire-influenced ecosystem types will be carried out during a 5-year period to explore the feasibility of a possibly much more comprehensive program of fire and vegetation management in the future.'