The view from our cabin deck. The top of the ridge in the left and center of the photo was burned—you can see the skeletons of remaining trees. The meadow was protected, both by the path of the East Peak Fire and by fire fighters, so many of the centuries-old trees there remain. The clouds, while …
In the years after a fire, the remaining trees overproduce pinecones to help re-propagate the forest. This photo shows the road in front of our cabin. The trees next to the road were spared fire damage and have thrown off huge bounties of pinecones every year since the East Peak fire of 2013.
Winds as high as 90 mph again hit the East Spanish Peak last week. That’s hurricane level. Last year’s winds did this: topped off the trees that had been burned in the East Peak Fire of 2013. Most made it to the ground, but a few remain hanging like natural guillotines.