Natural selection kept those survivor species viable in the soil as a plan for the future.

FORBES: Resiliency Portfolio Standards: Turning Smart Grids into Strong Grids

They will record plant species, forest structure, ash cover, soil properties, river sediment and the overall topography of the burned area.

ECONOMIST: A 30-year plan to study America��s ecology is about to begin

Species of plants, insects, and bacteria that lay dormant in the soil are brought to life, energized and fertilized by the super-heat of the fire .

FORBES: Resiliency Portfolio Standards: Turning Smart Grids into Strong Grids

These changes are making water supply and quality more difficult to obtain, affecting runoff and soil moisture, increasing water temperatures, decreasing snowpack and lake and river ice, threatening fish and aquatic species, and allowing saltwater intrusion and sea level rise.

FORBES: Water Risk Threatens Businesses, National Security