They are often viewed as scars on the landscape. On the other hand, fire can change an ecosystem without necessarily destroying it. The damage from wildland fires may not always be as bad as it first seems. Therefore, the number of acres that actually burn may be far less than the number of acres a fire spreads across. In addition, fires do not destroy every living thing within the burned areas.
Some trees can survive even when their crowns are scorched.
Wildland ecosystems do not just survive fires. Some of them are even made healthier. Large crown fires can burn in a patchwork pattern, thus creating areas with trees of different ages. This keeps the overall ecosystem more stable. Surviving plants may also benefit from the fire's quick breakdown of nutrient -rich organic matter .