From "Managing Michigan's Wildlife: A landowner's guide"

Every prescribed burn should have a clear objective. This objective is necessary to evaluate the success of the burn. To show the success, or lack thereof, of a prescribed burn, a photograph can be taken before, directly after, and one year following the burn. Objectives for a prescribed burn often include one or more of the following:

• Kill woody plants
• Remove grass and wildflower dead vegetative build-up (duff)
• Promote regrowth of warm season plants
• Promote regrowth of cool season plants
• Reduce or set back noxious weeds
• Increase populations of wildflowers
• Reduce cattail mono-cultures
• Reduce wildfire fuel build-up
• Promote growth of fire dependent trees such as Jack pine
• Increase populations of threatened and endangered species

Burn objectives should be identified in the burn plan. The objectives help determine the weather conditions for the burn, the timing of the burn, and how hot the burn should be.