Fire ecology is concerned with the processes linking fire behavior and ecological effect. Campaigns such as “Smokey Bear” in the USA have molded public opinion to believe that wildfires
are always harmful to nature. This view is based on the outdated belief
that ecosystems progress toward an equilibrium and that disturbance
(such as fire) disrupts the harmony of nature. More recent ecological
research has shown, however, that fire is an integral component to the
function and biodiversity
of many communities, and that the organisms within those communities
have adapted to withstand and even exploit it. Fire suppression, in
combination with other human-caused environmental changes, has resulted
in unforeseen changes to ecosystem dynamics and species composition and
has backfired to create some of the largest, most intense wildfires
yet. Land managers are faced with tough questions about where it is
appropriate to restore a fire regime and how to do it. These questions
are crucial today as we see the consequences of years of fire
suppression and the continued expansion of people into fire-adapted
ecosystems.