Forests are defined by their resiliency, their ability to regenerate after fire rips through the landscape. That image isn’t just familiar to the news cycle — it’s a natural cycle. “Forests are used to burning,” University of Guelph ecologist Merritt Turetsky told CTVNews.ca. “They have been burning for 5,000 years since fire came into the landscape.” But a growing body of research suggests humans are messing with that resiliency. “What we’re doing as a result of human climate change is we’re really whacking that resilience cycle,” she said. Forests are drier than they’ve ever been and the forest fires that typically have allowed them to regenerate are burning more intensely than ever, instead leaving soil conditions too stressful for seedlings to grow.