The character of most forest ecosystems in the southern U.S. has been shaped by fire. Indians and early settlers burned the woods for many purposes. After a period of trying to exclude fire, foresters recognized its value as an ecological force and its necessity as a management tool. This chapter describes the history of prescribed burning in the South, its effects on forest resources, and its use in regenerating the southern pines. Fires are prescribed before harvest to control small hardwoods that would compete with young pines of the next rotation and to prepare seed-beds for natural regeneration, and after harvest to reduce logging residues and again to control competing vegetation. Prescribed fires are also applied, for example, to improve habitat for certain wildlife species, to control disease, and to increase forage for grazing. Implementation of a prescribed-burning program and factors affecting fire behavior and influences are discussed. When properly applied, prescribed fire has many benefits and few adverse environmental effects. Although considerable information about prescribed burning has been accumulated over the decades, much remains to be learned to fine-tune the practice in an increasingly urban society.