<p>Forest fire is a major ecological disturbance shaping vegetation dynamics, carbon storage, and soil properties across Indian forest ecosystems. Using the SALSA framework, this review synthesizes evidence from 112 peer-reviewed studies to assess the impacts of single and recurrent fire regimes across major forest types. The synthesis reveals strong cross-ecosystem contrasts in fire sensitivity and resilience, with fire frequency emerging as the dominant driver. Single or low-frequency fires generally enhance herbaceous and shrub regeneration, promote seedling establishment, and temporarily increase nutrient availability, but often reduce tree species richness, basal area, canopy cover, and aboveground biomass. These negative effects are strongest in fire-sensitive systems such as tropical moist deciduous, shola–montane, and Himalayan temperate forests, whereas tropical dry deciduous forests exhibit higher post-fire regeneration through resprouting, and subtropical Chir pine forests show partial fire adaptation under low-intensity burns. Recurrent or high-frequency fires consistently cause declines in tree, sapling, and seedling densities, species diversity, and biomass carbon stocks, leading to community homogenization dominated by fire-tolerant species. Soil responses are ecosystem- and nutrient-specific i.e., while soil pH and exchangeable phosphorus and potassium often increase immediately after fire, repeated burning results in persistent losses of soil organic carbon, nitrogen, and microbial biomass. Overall, fire acts as both a regenerative and degrading force, beneficial when infrequent and low-intensity, but strongly detrimental under recurrent regimes. The pronounced cross-ecosystem differences highlight the need for forest-type-specific fire management and long-term monitoring to sustain biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and carbon sequestration under changing climate conditions.</p>