Prescribed Fires

A  prescribed fire  is any fire intentionally ignited to meet specific land management objectives. Prescribed fires may be started in order to reduce flammable fuels, such as the accumulation of brush or logs on forest floors, or to help restore ecosystem health.

Prescribed fires are preplanned ignitions, with predetermined boundaries. They are conducted only under certain weather conditions, such as periods of low wind, when flame length and heat can be controlled. Land managers must obtain approval of prescribed fire plans from applicable federal or state agencies before conducting planned burns. In addition, all applicable requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)  must be met on federal lands. Before federal land management activities are conducted, NEPA requires that the environmental impacts of these activities be analyzed to assess their impacts on cultural resources, wetlands , soil, water quality , visibility, air quality , and other resources.

For more information on prescribed fires , please visit the  Forest Service's (FS) Fire and Aviation Management web page .

Additional Resources:

• Wildfires
• The Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) Fire Management
• Healthy Forests
• Fire Safety
• Winter Fire Safety Tips  
• Barbecue Safety Tips
• Fireworks Safety Tips
• Smokey Bear