ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, VA – The mountains you see driving through Rockbridge County look very different today than they did a year ago.

Over 11,000 hectares of forest were burned during the Matts Creek wildfire.

Now people who had their boots on the ground are gathering to reflect on the lessons.

– I think it went very well. Looking back a year later, I have no regrets, says Forest Fire Chief Brent Foltz

A year doesn’t feel like that long ago to Foltz and conservation coordinator Laurel Schablein.

“This was just one of six or seven fires we had at the time. All the others were much smaller and easier to handle,” Foltz said.

“When you have your resources spread across so many different areas, it can be difficult,” said 10 News Anchor Abbie Coleman.

“Very tough, very tough,” Foltz said.

Over 11,000 acres burned – spanning Rockbridge and Bedford counties.

But even with all the forest destruction – no one was hurt and no property was damaged.

“Pretty crazy. We’ve looked at it many times, and you couldn’t have thrown an arrow better in the middle of the wilderness,” Foltz said.

Schablein tells 10 News looking back, the fire actually helped the ecosystem thrive.

“You get really big benefits for all of the Appalachians and plant species that make the Appalachians so unique, so we’re really interested in that part,” Schablein said.

“I think that’s something that so many people don’t realize. Because when they hear ‘fire,’ they say, ‘oh no, this is terrible,’ but it can actually be really good for the ecosystem,” Coleman said.

“Yeah, it’s really, really critical,” Schablein said.

Controlling the fire took over a week and took several agencies to come together.

They say they now know the fire was human-caused, but they are still under investigation.

It’s something Denny McCarthy of the Virginia Department of Forestry says is more common than you think.

“95% of all our fires are human-caused. Carelessness is a very big part of why we have a presence of fire in Virginia,” McCarthy said.

They are urging people not to forget Matts Creek – and to be careful in the woods.

“We don’t want a lot of unplanned events, because that takes us away from the good work we can do for the ecological benefit,” Foltz said.