The lush, unburned Douglas fir forests on the wet west slopes of the Cascade Range, where our project sites are located, are alive with many shades of green. Lichens and mosses drape over the trees; shrubs, herbs, and ferns cover the forest floor.

Initial stages of the 2020 fires burned with a blizzard of embers driven by fierce east winds, rapidly torching the understory and burning up here and there into the tree crowns. With the understory completely stripped away, the skeletal forest appeared, evoking a sense of loss and tragedy, but also revealing a stark, black beauty.

The skeletal state of the forest revealed details of its structure, evidence of forest history and hints about its future.