This depends on your management goals and objectives. Consider the fact that fire has unique properties and different effects that cannot be completely duplicated with other methods. For example, the heat from fire is necessary for seed germination in some plant species, the chemical-physical reaction from fire can alter nutrient availability and affect forage palatability, and increased soil temperature following fire can alter plant emergence in spring. The opposite also holds true. That is, herbicide, grazing, and mechanical methods can produce results that fire cannot exactly duplicate. Therefore, it is important to understand and define your management objectives in order to best apply the appropriate practice(s). Visit with your local Extension agent or specialist to help make this determination.