Limited access due to fire exclusion Open stand resulting from annual winter burning Pitcher plants respond to prescribed fire Improve Access Burning underbrush prior to the sale of forest products improves the efficiency of cruising, timber marking, and harvesting. Removing accumulated material before harvesting also provides greater safety for timber markers, loggers and naval stores operators due to better visibility and less underbrush. The reduced amount of fuel helps offset the greater risk of wildfire during harvesting. Moreover, the improved visibility and accessibility often increase the stumpage value of the products. Hikers and other users also benefit from easier travel and increased visibility.
Hunters are more likely to get a clear shot.
Many plants have structural adaptations, specialized tissues, or reproductive features that favor them in a fire-dominated environment. Such traits suggest a close association with fire over a very long period of time. Many endemics are only found the first 1 to 2 years after a fire. Many picturesque flowers, including several orchids, currently listed as threatened or endangered are benefited by fire. Prescribed burning, however, does not automatically help perpetuate plant and animal species because fires are not necessarily conducted during the same season in which the site historically burned.