To make people realize the importance of fire safety, many times the worst case scenerio was presented to make a point. There is no doubt that each year forest fires, both natural and man caused, destroy a great deal of the forests, grasslands and anything else that may be in their path. In some areas wildfires are allowed to run their course. These are large areas without human habitation. Frequently, however, wildfires are suppressed in an attempt to prevent them from threatening the human habitation.
Prescribed burns are just as the name implies.
The area to be burned has a prescription written for it. The written prescription involves planning the types of equipment and the number of fire personnel needed to control the burn and the estimated time necessary to burn the fuels. Prescribed burns can be very effective in rejuvenating the forest and cutting down fuel loads so that catastophic fires are less likely to occur. Prescribed burns with proper planning, therefore can be excellent resource management tools.