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Preventing forest fires requires managing the buildup of flammable material long before any spark occurs. Controlled burns, conducted under carefully monitored conditions, clear away dead leaves, fallen branches, and undergrowth that would otherwise fuel a larger blaze. Firebreaks, strips of land cleared of vegetation, are cut through forests to slow or halt the spread of flames that do ignite. Thinning overly dense stands of trees reduces competition for water and improves overall forest health, making trees less likely to die and become fuel. Public education campaigns urge campers to fully extinguish fires and avoid discarding cigarettes carelessly, since human carelessness causes a substantial share of wildfires. Some conservationists argue that decades of aggressive fire suppression paradoxically increased risk by allowing fuel to accumulate unchecked.