Wildfire and forest operations remove vegetation and disturb forest soils. Both of these effects can lead to an increased risk of soil erosion. Operations to reduce forest fuel loads, however, may reduce the risk of wildfire. This paper presents research and modeling results which show that under many conditions, carefully planned operations with adequate buffers, results in lower long-term erosion rates than experienced following wildfire, which is inevitable if fuel loads are not reduced. The effects of reducing fire-induced flood flows on forest stream systems, however, are unknown.