Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder count
The hike into Morrell Falls a year after the Rice Ridge fire swept through the area shows a variety of forbs and grass regrowth depending on the fire severity
Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder count
The area behind the vault toilet as seen from the parking lot Oct. 19, 2017 and again Sept. 7, 2018. Sawyers fell many of the trees to mitigate the hazard. The clumps of beargrass are thriving.
Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder count
The black landscape is now sprinkled with green. Trail crews have kept the trail open from all the downfall. Last year nearly 40 trees were across the trail on the hike in Oct. 19. On Sept. 7, 2018 the trail was clear.
Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder count
While the small diameter trees and understory experienced a high rate of mortality in places, often the large diameter trees, like the larch on the right, were scorched but survived.
Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder count
A new hiker-created trail takes hikers to this now popular overlook before the first lake. Prior to the fire, the valley-bottom was not visible. Now, the top of the bench offers a bird's eye view of the forest transition one year post-fire.
Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder count
The understory is flourishing in areas that burned with low to mixed fire severity. The nutrient release from the fire promotes understory regrowth and seeds that were dormant in the seed bank were released. Fireweed was abundant.
Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder count
The island at the first lake was still smoking last October. This was one of the highest severity areas visible from the main trail with what appeared to be 100 percent morality in the tree canopy and understory. While there is some regrowth, the response is much slower than in the other areas with less mortality.
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