Greenhoe proposes that for every good reason to conduct prescribed burns in the chaparral fuel beds of southern California there are a dozen reasons that stop, or at least slow down, land managers and fire service professionals from accomplishing this work. Categories of these barriers include cost, self-imposed internal rules and regulations, external laws and regulations, fear of litigation, fears of the consequences of escaped burns, society's perceptions of potential property damage, and cultural bias against fire as a tool. © Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Abstract reproduced by permission.