Prescribed Fire

prescribed fire, also called prescribed burning or controlled burning, form of land management in which fire is intentionally applied to vegetation. Prescribed fires are conducted under desired conditions to meet specific objectives, such as to restore fire regimes in adapted ecosystems or to limit the amount of dry brush in an area prone to wildfires. Two primary types of prescribed fire are used: broadcast burning, in which fire is applied across an area that can range in size from less than one hectare (2.5 acres) to tens of thousands of hectares, and pile burning, in which discrete piles of fuels are burned with limited or no spread between the piles. For either type, managers usually compose a detailed prescribed burn plan that clearly defines the suitable weather and fuel conditions, the desired fire behaviour, and the effects needed to meet predetermined objectives.