Working paper 18: Prescribed and wildland use fires in the southwest: Do frequency and timing matter?

Support for the use of prescribed fire and wildland fire use has increased in the Southwest in recent decades. However, the frequency and seasonality of these contemporary fires is typically different than historical fires, which burned during late spring and early summer in the driest and windiest time of the year. Contemporary changes in the landscape, including unprecedented fuel loads and human development in and around forests, now limit the ability to use fire during those times of the year. Most managed fire now occurs outside the windy fire season because it is safer and allows managers to provide greater protection to susceptible cultural or natural resources, such as historic structures or dry snags