Forest fires are as much of natural disasters as flooding. The idea is still relatively new to us. In 1910 a three-million-acre firestorm in the northern Rockies called "The Big Burn" engulfed entire towns and killed 87 civilians. These are one of the most devastating natural disasters out there needing hundreds of people to help put them out. There are many practices that lead to forest fires, and specialists recommend numerous ways for dealing with them.

Many different types of practices lead to forest fires. Fire suppression happens to be a major part of the problem rather than the solution. Since fires have been routinely suppressed this inhibited the natural cycle of burning and gave way for fire-prone trees to grow. As stated by the author "most forests have a natural cycle, in which a purging burn comes through every 10, 20, 50 or 100 years." "The cycle may be suppressed, but only at...