Fire and smoke in Montana forests

The concept of forest fire is especially difficult to deal with in an objective manner because fire has deep psychological associations for most animals, especially man. Moreover, attitudes toward forest fires have been greatly conditioned by what has been called the most effective advertising campaign in history. I can't match the emotional appeal of some fire prevention forces operating in Montana forests which predispose them to wildfires, describe the present state of scientific knowledge of the production and dispersion of smoke from forest fires, and, finally, discuss alternative treatments of both fire and smoke in forests managed for water, wood, and wild animals.