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Nature
holds the key to our
aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive
and even spiritual satisfaction.
~ Edward O.
Wilson
Fire has passed
through this area. If you look behind DH's left shoulder in the upper right of the photo,
you might see a burn-scar at the base of the pine tree.
Another giveaway that
fire has visited this area is that
the Jeffrey Pines here are young, no more than 50 years
old. Later, you'll get to compare these youngsters with
the ancients at Marker 11.
We are conditioned to
think of fire as destructive and "bad." This is not
always true for the forests. Certain pines can only reproduce after their cones
have been scorched, releasing their seeds. Fire also gets rid of
forest debris that prevent pine seedlings
from sending down their roots, as well as thinning out plant overgrowth.
The fire that burned
through here eliminated the competing trees that shaded the forest
floor, which in turn allowed the surviving trees more sunlight to
thrive on.
Likely, the fire was started by lighting.
Why is the scar on the
tree at the base of the tree?
Good question! Lightning
actually strikes the top of the tree and spirals down to the ground. Hence,
the burn scar at the base. Another good reason why you should not
seek cover under a tree during a lightning storm.
Without fire for 300
years or more, the white fir succeeds the Jeffrey Pines, which has a
lifespan of about 250 years, in the
forest canopy.
Controlled burn-offs by
the Forest Service also can burn off piled up debris in the understory that
is fodder waiting to explode into a major conflagration, like the
The Willow Fire in 1999 that burned over 63,000 acres. It was
the biggest fire to burn on the San Bernardino National Forest in
many years -- almost the biggest in its history, costing taxpayers
over $8.5 million to fight. Thanks to the brave
firefighters our beloved lakeside village of Fawnskin was
spared.
A good idea: leave
prescribed burn-offs to the experts, who know how to take all
contingencies into account.
Remember what Smokey the
Bear says:
Only you
can prevent wildfires!
>>
Stumped:
Studying the impact of fire on forest health
>> about.com:
Smokey the Bear Links
>>
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Big Bear Lake
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