Insect pests and plant diseases are controlled. Fires limit the spread of certain plants while encouraging others to grow, and fires create a diversity of plant communities as burned areas recover at different rates. The variety of plants provide a more complex mix of food and cover for wildlife. This increased complexity in turn leads to a greater diversity of wildlife inhabiting the burned regions and a more stable and disaster-resistant ecosystem. Today, fire management policies reflect both a commitment to public safety and the understanding that fire is a natural component of ecosystems.
Prescribed fire is one of the most important tools used to manage fire today.
A scientific prescription for the fire, prepared in advance, describes its objectives, fuels, size, and the precise weather and other environmental conditions under which it will burn. If it moves outside the predetermined areas or conditions suddenly change, the fire may be suppressed. The purpose of many prescribed fires is to reduce fuels. In areas where fires were routinely suppressed, fuels have built up, creating the potential for a much larger, hotter fire than would naturally occur. Prescribed fires reduce ground fuels without harming larger trees.