Wildfires across the US are changing forest landscapes - and the tipping point may be on the horizon | CNN

Researchers are observing a shift in how U.S. forests respond to wildfire as fast-moving, high-temperature blazes become more common with climate change. In Yellowstone National Park, Monica Turner compared a 2013 trek to a later return in 2017: after the Maple Fire, her view changed from surviving forest to a stark clearing with only scattered regrowth. While fire is historically part of many ecosystems, experts cited the lack of prescribed burns—used by Indigenous communities to clear dead vegetation—as a key factor leaving forests more vulnerable. Instead of sudden loss, scientists say the pattern may become a gradual conversion to scrub or grassland, raising the possibility of a future tipping point.