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Methods

Ecosystem responses

The ecological effects of fire can be extremely complex, with direct consequences and indirect interactions that can influence the different ecosystem responses  to fire. Ecosystem response is the capacity of the ecosystem to maintain and recover its ecological functions (Keeley, 2019). Whereas large or extreme wildfires can be devastating, managed wildfires under prescription or fire-use as a management tool can be beneficial or neutral for most of the ecosystem functions and components.  Fire practitioners  adjust the burn window to allow a fire to behave in such intensity conditions to achieve the desired ecosystem structure and functioning after management. However, although some ecosystem responses are correlated to burn intensity or severity, they results from a combination of pre-fire ecosystem conditions (including phenology), fire intensity and severity, the characteristics and interrelations of the ecosystem components after burning, and the meteorology before and after burning.  Ecosystem response is one of the most concerns of managers after a fire since it is related to undesirable processes, such as soil erosion, proliferation of invasive species or pests. It also determines the future composition and arrangement of the community. Predicting how fire intensity and severity will influence these responses is essential for effective fire management.