He also mentions how the lack of fire has affected whitebark pine, a species that supports a variety of high mountain flora and fauna, and attributes this to the fact that there is not sufficient fire to eradicate competing species. H.E. McLean, writing in 1995 in American Forests, covers a handful of relevant topics. These include stating that there is an inherent risk in using prescribed fires because they are subject to the unpredictable forces of nature, but that this risk is acceptable. He discusses the need for prescribed burns in Alaska, due to the state's climate and corresponding slow decomposition rate. In addition, he outlines briefly the role of prescribed burns in Sequoia NP, Yosemite NP, and Stanislaus NF.

Further examples of controlled burning programs and a recap of the issues discussed above are found in other sources. The article "Wildland Fire in Yellowstone" discusses issues pertaining to that park; and M.T. Haynes writing in 2004 in the Salt Lake City Tribute discusses a plan for a substantial controlled burn in Zion NP.

The conclusion from this body of work is that suppression of burning leads to a variety of problems, including the eradication of certain species, and increasing the risk of catastrophic fire. By using controlled or prescribed burns, forest managers can reduce these negative outcomes, for the long-term health of the forests they manage by fostering conditions closer to those that occur in nature. There are a wide range of examples of successful controlled burn programs that can be drawn on for insight and inspiration.

Kilgore, B.M. (1970). Restoring Fire to the Sequoias. National Parks and Conservation Magazine. 44, 16-22. Retrieved on June 15, 2008 at http://www.nps.gov/archive/seki/fire/restore.htm

(1972). Fire's Role in a Sequoia Forest. Naturalist 23 (1): 26-37, Retrieved June 13, 2008 from www.nps.gov/archive/seki/fire/firerole.htm- 31k
No author. (2007). Prescribed Fire as a Fire Management Tool. U.S. Fed News Service (U.S. Forest Service Unit, Coronado NF). Press release in possession of the author.

Ferguson, J.P. (2005) Building a Landscape-Level Prescribed Fire Program. Fire Management Today. Retrieved June 14, 2008 at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-895042421.html

Romme, W.H. And Knight, DH (1982). Landscape Diversity: The Concept Applied to Yellowstone Park. BioScience. 32 (8), 664-670.

Kirkwood, S. (2005) Forest fires leave nothing but a cold, charred, lifeless expanse in their wake. Or do they? National Parks Magazine

Turner, M.G., Hargrove, W.W., Gardner R.H., and Romme, W.H. (1994). Effects of fire on landscape heterogeneity in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Journal of Vegetation Science, 5 (5), 731-742.

Murray, M, (2008). Fires in the High Cascades. Fire Management Today Retrieved at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5413/is_200801/ai_n24393753/pg_1

McLean, H.E. (1995) Fighting fire with fire. American Forests. Retrieved on June 15, 2008 at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17099755.html

No author. (2007) Wildland Fire in Yellowstone. National Park Service Retrieved June 11, 2008 at http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/wildlandfire.htm

Havnes, M.T. (2004) Officials set Largest-Ever Planned Burn in Zion National Park in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved on June 14, 2008 at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5553/is_200409/ai_n22242861