Prescribed Fire

1. What do you think the U.S. Forest Service’s objectives should be in this decision? In the article, only one objective was considered, minimizing cost (including costs associated with an escaped fire and the damage it might do). Do you think this is a reasonable criterion for the Forest Service to use? Why or why not?

Prescribed Fire is the controlled application of fire by a team of fire experts that help restore health environments. By safely reducing excessive amounts of brush and trees, encouraging the new growth of native vegetation, one of the objectives is that prescribed burning helps reduce the damage of wildfire on the lands. Prescribed fire is a really effective tools forester. As one of the most tools, fire plays an important role in maintaining ecosystems. Prescribed fire can bring the beneficial effects of fire into an ecosystem, producing the kinds of vegetation and landscapes we want. But because prescribed fire is fire, fire management has to be really careful in planning a prescribed fire. There are few objectives should be in this decision, prescribed fire can reduce fire hazards created by heavy volumes of logging slash or naturally accumulated forest residues, to enhance wildlife habitat by eliminating decadent vegetation and stimulating new growth, and to facilitate site preparation prior to planting seedlings and to improve range forage.

I think minimizing cost which including costs associated with an escaped fire and the damage is not really important. So, I don’t think this is a reasonable criterion for the Forest Service to use. There are many of the criterions which are more important than minimizing cost for the Forest Service to use prescribed Fire.