ABSTRACT
The cost of fire management activities and the benefits resulting from there gradually increased as a concern of forest managers. Limited advances were made in understanding the economic efficiency of fire management investments; they were overwhelmed by concern for the stochastic nature of the fire management system. The notion that fire effects are primarily detrimental to natural resources caused postponement of most research on procedures for estimating fire-caused changes in the present net value of forest outputs. Fire management decisions focused on individual fires are made in an environment where time is of essence. Research on initial attacks mounted to control individual fires can build on a fairly rich base of simulation models. Treatment of forest and range fuels has been a hallmark of fire management. Economics research focused on fire management activities has trailed economic research focused on other forest management practices and programs.
