Year after year pictures in the media show towering flames threatening people's homes, livelihoods, and their very lives in places as diverse as North America, Europe and Australia – why does this happen? Conflicting stories continually appear over whether fire is rapidly destroying the animals, habitats and plants we treasure in our forests, or whether fire is their salvation, the key to diversity and ecosystem rebirth – where does the truth lie? With global warming predictions, do we face more and larger fires or will technology be able to tame this potentially savage enemy? This book delves into these and other questions, providing a factual account and perspective of how fire burns in the forest, what it does and how it might be controlled.

Where the published work of others is used, or where good sources of extra information are recommended, the authors and the date of the publication are given so that the source can be found in the references at the end of the book. This inevitably has resulted in a compromise; we've tried to keep this to a minimum to help the text flow but give sufficient references to help the reader who wishes to find out more. Our apologies if we fail you at any point.