Both the author and the lecturer discuss a type of controlled fires, named as prescribed burns.

Prescribed fires are one of the intentional causes of forest fires, and they are mainly done in
cooler seasons to remove the fuel buildup for uncontrollable forest fires breaking out in the
hotter, drier seasons. While the author points out three flaws of such practice, the author casts
doubt on each of those points to support the act of utilizing prescribed fires.
To begin, the author says that this act is controversial as there are adverse effects on the
environment and even to humans because of the harmful chemical-filled smoke. However, the
lecturer strongly refutes this idea by explaining that the prescribed burns are carefully planned
out by professionals who already have calculated the weather and wind patterns to keep the fire
small and in a limited area. These calculations restrict the smoke from seeping into populated
areas.
Next, the author mentions that the fires harm the animals’ habitats and destroy their food which
would end up effecting the ecosystem. The lecturer opposes this point by giving his personal
experience of participating in a like project. He claims that the animals in the area of the fire
have time to escape and that they have the instincts to flee. Also, he supports this stance by
adding on the fact that there were very few animals seen dead after the fire was extinguished.
Furthermore, the lecturer insists that they do not practice prescribed burns during mating and
egg laying seasons so that it minimizes the harm on animals.
Last, the author writes that the prescribed burns are unnecessary because human and machine
labor are much more effective, and they cause no harm. On the other hand, the lecturer firmly
rejects this point by mentioning that those other methods are time consuming and expensive.
The heavy machines are difficult to transport to forested areas with many trees and plants, thus
making those practices extremely impractical. In this sense, the lecturer holds his stance by
stating prescribed fires are the most practical and efficient way to successfully finish such tasks.