Abstract

Wildfires are formidable and unpredictable natural forces that have shaped ecosystems for thousands of years. Yet, in an era of accelerating climate change and expanding human development into fire-prone regions, understanding how wildfires behave has never been more urgent. A recent global synthesis by Cruz, Hoffman, and Fernandes (2025) brings together two decades of field-based research on fire dynamics, with a focus on forests and shrublands—two ecosystems increasingly vulnerable to wildfire impacts.