Timeline of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy

The timeline in the diagram tells the basic story of how Federal wildland fire management policy has evolved over the past century. Because significant wildland fires (e.g., Yellowstone fires in 1988) and fire seasons (e.g., in the year 2000) have often been the impetus for Federal wildland fire management policy changes, the timeline identifies those fires and fire seasons. The timeline also describes how fire management, science, and social influences have changed over the years.

Click on the respective timeline dates to learn more about how Federal wildland fire management policy evolved, and read the following definition.

Diagram with links showing the timeline of how Federal wildland fire management policy has evolved over the past century. The links provide specific information on how policy has evolved during these time periods: 1910-1950s, 1960s-1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s..

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Terminology

The terms "let-burn fire," "prescribed natural fire," and "wildland fire use" are some of the terms that have been used over the years to describe a naturally ignited wildland fire (started by lightning or lava in a remote area) that was allowed to burn to achieve desirable land management outcomes.

A "prescribed fire" is any fire intentionally ignited by management actions in accordance with applicable laws, policies, and regulations to meet specific objectives.