Wildfire Prevention in Forests

There are a few ways to prevent fires from seriously damaging forests. It is a good idea to periodically set off small fires to clear dead material. Allowing some fires to burn could ensure that there is no accumulation of flammable material that could pose a significant threat to the forest. Also, clearing away vegetation around buildings will prevent damage to our structures.
There are two major ways that are being employed to reduce the damage caused by forest fires. They are prevention and prescribed burning. The first acts to prevent fires before they start. To do so, education programs featuring the iconic "Smokey Bear" have been aired across the nation. However, this campaign has thoroughly convinced the general public that all fires are bad and should be put out. However, though counter intuitive, this is not the right strategy to pursue. Though it has saved billions of dollars in fire damage and loss of life and trees, preventing all fires drastically increases the chances of the destructive crown fire that kills the most trees out of all the different types of fires. Also, trees burned by the intense heat of a crown fire cannot recover and the ecosystem must go through primary succession again.
Environmental experts have proposed several ways to deal with forest fires. Setting prescribed surface fires in the most high-risk zones would alleviate some of the danger. However, these fires would have to be monitored closely to ensure that they do not spread out of control. Also, allowing the fires in national parks to burn themselves out is a sound strategy as long as no human structures are affected.
Though the U.S. government attempted to solve the problem in 2003 when it passed the Healthy Forests Initiative requiring lumber companies to clear away smaller trees that are susceptible to catching on fire and they in return received the rights to cut down medium and large trees. The problem with this plan is that by removing the large trees that are largely fire resistant, we are really promoting the growth of thick and dense growths of flammable small trees.