<p>Large-scale, forest fires pose a significant threat to several of the most speciose global ecosystems. In the present study we compared tree and climber composition in burnt and unburnt forest using 15–40 0.02&#xa0;ha plots randomly allocated to 450&#xa0;ha landscapes. All landscapes were located in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. Species richness and evenness were higher in unburnt landscapes. There was also significant distance dependence with respect to community dissimilarity in unburnt, but not burnt forest. Dominant plant species also differed between burnt and unburnt forests, with pioneer species, e.g. in the genera <i>Macaranga</i> and <i>Homalanthus</i>, more prevalent in burnt landscapes. Mean beta diversity was similar across all landscapes, but with greater variation in burnt forest landscapes. The plant communities in burnt forest landscapes significantly deviated from neutral model expectations indicating that non-neutral processes played a role in shaping these communities. Plant communities in unburnt landscapes, in contrast, aligned more closely with neutral models. Values of immigration and the fundamental biodiversity number θ were lower in burnt forest landscapes. Species rank abundance curves in burnt landscapes showed higher-than-expected abundances of lower-ranked species, such as <i>Macaranga trichocarpa</i> and <i>M. gigantea</i>. Overall, the findings of the present study highlight the significant impact of forest fires on tropical forest ecosystems, leading to reduced biodiversity and altered community structure. Conservation efforts are crucial to protect unburnt forests and mitigate the negative effects of forest fires.</p>