DIRECTIONS: Read the passage. Then, answer the questions that follow. The U. S. Forest Service policy of fire suppression needs to be entirely revamped. In the early twentieth century, the service extinguished all fires on western lands that it could. Forests were a public resource, so putting out the fires seemed to make sense. However, our understanding of the ecology of western forests has radically changed. Fire, scientists now know, is a key part of the life cycle of healthy forests. Periodic fires thin underbrush and young, weak trees. Older trees can grow bigger—and more resistant to pests and fire. By putting out every fire it could, the Forest Service allowed forests to become clogged with brush and skinny, weak trees—perfect kindling for fires. In other words, the old policy of fire suppression creates the conditions for even more intense and destructive fires.

1. What is the writer’s claim?

2. Write one piece of evidence that strongly supports the claim.

3. What kind(s) of evidence could make the argument stronger?