"Ecosystems like forests, prairies, meadows and streams are constantly changing as plants and animals move in and out just like how people and businesses may move in and out of a community. In nature, this change occurs through a mechanism known as succession, the process by which an ecosystem recovers after a disturbance, such as a fire, flood or human activity, that significantly alters the area. In the case of wildfire, succession refers to how an ecosystem regrows after the fire has been extinguished, transitioning from charred tree trunks to grasses to shrubs to mature trees in a matter of years to decades. The never-ending cycle of disruptions works to create patchwork quilt-like patterns that support biodiversity. 

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      In all ecosystems, these disruptions are an essential part of life, shaking up the community of plants and animals, which promotes vitality and new growth. Fire is so important for the health of many ecosystems that it is sometimes referred to as a keystone process. Like a keystone species, a keystone process has a disproportionate influence on an ecosystem and removing such a process dramatically changes an ecosystem’s ability to remain healthy and diverse. Fire adapted forests, prairies, meadows and stream systems depend on fire to maintain pyrodiversity. "