While Hurricanes and Tornadoes wreak awful havoc, there are always sections of land that lie in their paths that somehow do not get eaten up and destroyed in their wake.............Same is true for Forest Wildfires.............."What are labeled Fire Refugia by biologists and Foresters, these unburned random patches of land that the fire does not consume are vital to the long-term well-being of forests.........."These havens shelter species that are vulnerable to fires"..............."Afterward, they can be seedbank starting points for the ecosystem’s regeneration"............"In the Pacific Northwest, fires burn through forests every year, yet some fire refugia remain unharmed for centuries".............."Trees that are vulnerable to fire, such as Western hemlock and Pacific silver fir, thrive in these shady sanctuaries".................."And these trees shelter animals, such as the northern spotted owl, that struggle to survive in fire-prone forests".............. "These untouched islands may be essential even for species that normally live outside them"..................."As the fire burns, animals seek shelter inside refugia"..............."As the forest slowly regenerates, they can return to refugia for food or nesting"

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/science/wildfire-biodiversity.html

‘Lifeboats’ Amid the

 World’s Wildfires

Islands of greenery, called refugia,
 survive even the worst fires, sheltering
 species and renewing charred landscapes.

Carl Zimmer, 10/12/18

The Delta Fire burning in the
 Shasta-Trinity National

 Forest in California last month.
 When the fires eventually

 die, refugia will be essential to
 recovery of the forest.

CreditCreditNoah Berger/Associated Press

Refugia in April 2015, after
 the Big Cougar Fire near
 Lewiston, Idaho.CreditArjan Meddens

The Lake Chelan National Recreation
 Area in Washington
 State in 2012, showing patches of 
unburned or slightly
burned vegetation within the outline 
of a 1994 wildfire.
Credit

C. Alina Cansler

Firefighters at work on the Roosevelt
 Fire near Bondurant,
 Wyo., last month.CreditRyan Dorgan/
Jackson Hole News; Guide,
 via Associated Press