Time Heals all Wounds. . . Still the Beginning

The fires of June were terrifying to say the least.  There are still many hotspots and as a result, any given day of the week, I can turn the water on and will temporarily be out of water or it will hiss and spit at me until the air has cleared the lines.  The Forest Service personnel are still hanging out in the area and I sure don't mind sharing my water with them. . . as crazy at it makes the water in the lines.  It is never boring.  Course, Granny isn't happy about the water acting crazy. . . it knocked a glass out of her hands.  She fussed about it some. 

Thankfully, only two residences were destroyed as well as a barn and many deer hunter travel trailers that they leave on their leases.  The majority of what was destroyed was pine plantations.  When fires destroy these trees, there is a limited time window in which they can be salvaged and some value gained from them.  Otherwise, they are a complete loss. 

Multiple logging crews have descended upon the area and are working hard to removed the trees they can so that the land can be prepared for planting around the months of January to March.  It is the hope of many people, not just for the timber companies but for farms and ranches, that we start getting healing rains to make the forests rebound.

Much of the land surrounding my house and property, if it isn't privately owned farm or ranch land, it is privately owned timber plantations or Davy Crockett National Forest.  There is a major difference between all three in how they are maintained.

There are a lot of people who may look at the drought and subsequent fires as total devastation.  I try to look at it a little differently. 

Certainly, it is hard on all as many people's income depend on the land around here and then the results are just plain ugly.  But nature has a way of taking care of its own.  Yeah, they say we are in global warming conditions but Mother Nature still takes care of her body.  I can remember reading about the Storm King fires that happened when I was a kid and hearing about all the wildfires on the west coast over the years.  Then reading books like the Little House on the Prairie series talked about prairie fires that would happen while they were in Indian Territory.  (I don’t think Mrs. Wilder would have lied about those fires just to fluff her stories.)  Truth is wildfires happen and they have happened since the beginning of time.  It is what happens when underbrush isn’t taken care of or severe droughts happen.  Unfortunately, when there is a high volume of human activity the odds of having a wildfire are increased. 

Our activities increase the chances of wildfire higher than the chances of them being started by lightening, at least in our area.  As horrible as they may seem and the damages that are caused, these fires do have benefits to local ecosystems.  Spots that may burn, if left alone will create temporary clearings in which wildlife will eventually find food and forage.  The burned underbrush and trees create potash which is one of the three major nutrients to plants.  The plants that comeback will then grow stronger and abundantly.  Without fire, these forests wouldn’t get potash to help them be stronger.

There is good that comes from all things.

Area that had been young pines with significant growth on them.  You can see the trees behind that were fortunate to have not suffered from the fire.

(07/11/2011)

Another view that has been recently cleared in preparations to begin anew.

(07/11/2011)

Yet, again, another look.

(07/11/2011) 

 A loader setting idle at the end of the day.

(07/11/2011)

What is called a shearer in these parts.

(07/11/2011)