You should remember that wildland fires can help certain ecosystems stay healthy and productive. Fires have burned across the earth for millions of years. Some petrified trees have fossilized charcoal called fusain in their trunks. The charcoal marks, which indicate that the tree was once in the path of a fire, are called fire scars on a living tree.
Fires occur naturally with the help of lightning, but most fires are started by people.
The remaining 10 percent of wildland fires are started by lightning. Imagine what happens when lightning strikes a field of dry grass.