Although fire is a natural process in many North American ecosystems, increases in burned area and severity of wildland fires have had significant impacts on natural ecosystems . The length of streams and rivers impacted by fire has increased in the USA along with burned area . Mega-fires can cause major changes in the structure and composition of ecosystems, particularly where human alterations are significant . Unusually severe fires may have led to the conversion of forest to grassland in the southwest USA . Recent warming and drying have limited post-fire tree seedling and shrub establishment, limiting ecosystem recovery . In boreal forests, soil carbon is being lost through increasingly severe or frequent fires .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report