The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the United States Congress have repeatedly asked the Office of Wildland Fire in the Department of Interior (DOI) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) to critically examine and demonstrate the role and effectiveness of fuel reduction treatments for addressing the increasing severity and cost of wildland fire. Federal budget analysts want to know if and when investments in fuel reduction treatments will reduce federal wildland fire suppression costs, decrease fire risk to communities, and avert resource damage. PERSISTENT QUESTIONS In order to answer persistent questions related to wildfire economics and fuel treatment effectiveness, the Office of Wildland Fire contracted with the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University to conduct a neutral, third party analysis. The research and analysis team included university-affiliated and independent economists. The key findings for five persistent questions are summarized.