Wildfire policy and fire use on public lands in the United States

Current wildfire management policy succeeds in suppressing 99% of all fires on public lands. Indirect costs of this achievement include the development of dense vegetation in the absence of fire, and increasingly more intense fires when they do erupt. The result is a fire management system with rising costs and fire-dependent forests that are frequently characterized by declining health. Wildland fire use (WFU), the use of fire to accomplish specific pre-stated resource management objectives, is considered appropriate in many remote wildlands where a naturally ignited fire may safely be used to improve forest health. Ecological benefits associated with WFU include improved watershed conditions, enhanced wildlife habitat, and more resilient forested ecosystems. Economic benefits include reduced suppression and fuels treatment costs over the long term. Policy challenges are complex, however; land management agencies face increased planning requirements as well as the need to develop both institutional and public support before the full potential of wildland fire use can be realized.