Wildfire Science Story Key Terms

Definitions of key wildfire science concepts, including: 

• Fire regime: general pattern in which fires naturally occur over a period of time, ex: fire frequency, season, or severity. 

• Fire severity: the effects of fire on an ecosystem, ex: high-severity fire kills most trees in an area, whereas low severity fire will leave most trees alive.  

• Ecotone: transition area between two landscapes or biological communities; ex: forest-grassland ecotone