This policy statement has been prepared in response to plans by some Federal, tribal and State wildland owners/managers to significantly increase the use of wildland and prescribed fires to achieve resource benefits in the wildlands. Many wildland ecosystems are considered to be unhealthy as a result of past management strategies. The absence of fire effects has allowed plant species (e.g., trees and shrubs) that would normally be eliminated by fires to proliferate, vegetation to become dense and insect infestations to go unchecked. Wildland owners/managers plan to significantly increase their use of fires to correct these unhealthy conditions and to reduce the risk of wildfires to public and fire fighter safety. The largest increases are expected mainly on Federal lands in western States in ecosystems where fires would naturally occur every few years (35 years or less) if not suppressed. Fire has continued to be a management tool used by many public and private wildland owners/managers in the southeastern States. However, Federal land managers in the southeast also plan to significantly increase their use of fire above current annual levels.