Most wildfires are naturally occurring and many ecosystems benefit from the natural cycles of forest fires. Burned forests eventually decompose, replenishing the soil with nutrients that allow for new species to grow. Certain plants, such as the Giant Sequoia trees of the Redwood forests, even depend on fires to reproduce. However, man-made changes in Earth’s climate have created hotter and drier fire environments, leading to larger wildfires and longer fire seasons.
