Prescribed fire has been used for thousands of years to rejuvenate and sustain the health of forests in the Pacific Northwest. Today, there are many who debate the usefulness of anthropogenic fire, often pointing out extreme health risks to the public and arguing the effectiveness of fire on improving forest health. Although, research has been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of prescribed burning, in not only sustaining forests, but preventing devastating wildfires, there is still much opposition facing the government agencies who practice it. Research has been compiled and evaluated to eliminate misconceptions about this practice and the health risks to the public that are associated it. The results will show the benefits of using controlled burning on National Forests to sustain ecosystems, while preventing the negative health risks to the public that can be associated with devastating wildfires. The purpose of the research is to provide an understanding of the benefits of anthropogenic fire to the public and eliminate some of the many misconceptions that have been by propagated by some of those who oppose this practice.