Wildfires provide some benefits for Montana's environment

Wildfires are roaring across some areas of Montana, and despite the obvious destruction, the fires are important for the regrowth of these ecosystems.

"Montana is a fire-adapted ecosystem, so whether you are living on the east side, in the grassland, or the west side, in heavy timber, those places would have been on fire, or dealt with fire on a pretty regular basis," explained Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC) Forestry Outreach Specialist Julia Berkey.

“Because every ecosystem in Montana would have had fire at some point or another they are adaptive in some way. Then it's just a matter of how," she continued. "Like the grass, when grass is burned, it's essentially like mowing the lawn - you are just removing the top layer and the roots are still there. You could walk through that the next year and it would be just as good if not better.”