Fueled by dry trees and brush due to drought with fires started by lightning strikes is a little closer to the literal truth.
An average temperature rise of 1.5C over the last 50 or 100 years is climate change.
A regional drought lasting 5 or 10 years is...a drought.
edit: a paper discussing the connection between vapour pressure (drought) and oil and gas usage.
Seen the effects they have on tree populations and the health of forests?
Yes.
The relatively warm winters that allowed pine beetles to survive (I think it takes 10 days at -20C to kill them; ymmv) lasted a few years. It may still be going on.
The pine beetle is one of the supporting arguments for climate change---irrespective of arguments about cause. And it is not about drought.
So I conclude your comment is not relevant to mine.