Wildfire

Sometimes, to achieve particular ecological objectives, fire may be used as a tool in ecosystem management. The use of prescribed burns to maintain prairie was previously described, but similar practices have also been used to manage other ecological communities, and even some species. For example, prescribed burning is an essential component of the management strategy used to maintain an appropriate habitat of jack pine required by Kirtland's warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii), an endangered bird that only nests in northern Michigan. Prescribed burning is also used in forestry in some regions, to reduce the quantities of slash left after logging operations, to prepare a suitable seedbed for particular species of trees, or to prevent large build-ups of fuel that could lead to a more catastrophic wildfire.

To protect stands of timber that are important commercially or for other reasons, many agencies actively engage in fire protection activities. Fire protection is usually achieved by attempting to prevent humans from starting uncontrolled blazes, by using prescribed burns to prevent dangerous accumulations of large quantities of fuel, and by quenching fires that are accidentally or deliberately ignited. However, fire is a natural, ecological force, and even the greatest efforts of humans are not always capable of preventing or quenching large fires. This fact is occasionally brought to our attention when uncontrollable conflagrations destroy homes, commercial timber, or forest in protected areas such as parks.