Though forest fires are usually associated with wide-spread destruction, they are as necessary as rain or sunshine in some habitats. Fire releases the seeds from the trees' cones and burns away dead organic matter on the forest floor, creating an ideal soil bed for seeds to sprout, and removing plants that would compete for sun and moisture. Native Americans used fire for centuries to improve wild food crops. Now, ecosystems that need fire for their health and survival are in trouble. How can we rescue them without risking people's lives and property?

Prescribed burning is the practice of creating carefully planned, controlled fires in woodland habitats. The Eastern New York Chapter of The Nature Conservancy has introduced controlled burns on the Shawangunk Ridge, a spectacular mountain range located between the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River.  Fifty years of fire suppression had built up flammable underbrush that could have produced uncontrollable, catastrophic fires.  Instead, land managers can conduct prescribed burns that clear away the combustible materials, destroy the fire-intolerant invasive plants and restore the Ridge’s historic native species.