ABSTRACT
The Park Service Organic Act spoke to "conserving the natural and historic objects." as if resources within parks were but a collection of objects. As the concept of ecosystems developed, so did the idea that the magnificent objects in our national parks were closely tied to other parts of the ecosystem. Experimental fires began in the Everglades in the early 1950s, but official National Park Service policy recognizing prescribed fire was not enacted until 1968. Wilderness fire management in the National Park Service has to date been a very successful resources program. The National Park Service as an institution responded rapidly to the new fire policy directives of the 1960s. The Park Service chose to use fire in places visible to the public and to explain why fire management program was needed. The Park Service usually finds itself in the middle of many issues, particularly in the creation, expansion, or development of parks.
