The famous Fisher-Williams loop, and the IMBA Epic Loon Lake, both in Idaho, burned in the big fire storms of 2005 and 07. A good portion of the wild land in Idaho burned in 05 and 07. Yes, it's terribly tragic: mismanaged forests (total suppression) combined with drought, plus an ever expanding urban/wildland interface ( read, everyone wants their nice little home in the woods) makes for all sorts of fire tragedy. Forest burn hotter and more severely than if the fires had not been suppressed for 100 years, home get burned, and yes, trail systems get burned up.

The forest has an amazing recovery system. Within 6 months after a severe burn, plants and wildlife return. Within two years, typically the only visible damage is burned snags. The only exception is when a fire is so hot ( from years of suppression) that is sterilizes the ground and makes it void of plant life and prone to severe erosion.

So ya it's a real bummer, but nature has a good way of recovering. As for the rest of it, that's why we buy insurance, and practice keeping a fire perimeter cleared around our houses, right?