Back at the beginning of June a fire called the “Two Bulls” fire burned over 10 square miles of privately owned forest land west of town:
One month later:
Found on a bearing tree:
Before and after:
Despite seemingly total devastation, life regains a foothold:
Bull Springs Creek area wasn't quite as toasted as other areas:
Bonus Question – what’s this?
The Irishman, Blob O'Krappe.
Or, what's left of a giant water balloon.
A well smoked fishing fly?
Looks like what is left of a fiberglass witness post after the fire burned it up and the birds harvested all they could for nest building.
Excellent guesses Messrs. Cow and Cash. Here's a revealing hint that brings the scale into perspective:
Edit: see Jeff's answer above which he posted while I was composing this hint.
Winner -Scorched earth (forest fire aftermath)
Yes Jeff, it's a close up of the base of a Carsonite post. Lilly white fiberglass skeleton after the rest of the post has burned away. The only non black/gray/brown objects in the burn area
After
Before:
What a great way to clear line. Sometimes I am a glass half full kind of guy, other times I'm a 'the glass lacks 50% of the alcohol' kind of guy.
Forest fires are natures way of cleaning things up. We just had a 190,000 acre fire here last month. Pretty bad, hit a few recreational cabins but no homes. Next couple of moose hunting seasons are going to be good in that area! Willows and alders are the first to come back after a fire. Bummer to lose the BTs tho'
-JD-
Being just on the West side of the Mountain from Mike, there has been many times that I wish a big ground fire would go through and get rid of the brush (and bees). But then I would have to be out there fighting that fire as it is one of my other job titles to the land owner. So I guess I will keep plugging along cutting brush and running from the bees.
Things are pretty scary in the mountain communities here. The combined effects of artificial suppression and bark beetles have us on the edge of some hard times. The fires burn so hot they leave everything sterile and dead. What usually turns into great hunting land now turns moonscape...
Looks familiar, Mike. I surveyed in the Toolbox Complex fire in the Fremont NF just west of Summer Lake 10-15 years ago right after it burned. The total area covered was about 25 miles square, but within that there were many areas untouched - and others where even the rocks were burned.
US Timberlands (if I remember correctly, or Weyhaeuser) was logging the burned areas right after the fire was out. I'm not sure what happened to "our" side of the line - Forest Service - but I remember the pine bark beetle came in while we were still surveying.
I'll ask, even though I know the answer.
Why are the trees rotting away rather than being harvested?
> I'll ask, even though I know the answer.
>
> Why are the trees rotting away rather than being harvested?
They aren't. They begin logging next week. 5 sides. All being worked at once to beat the hoot owl hours and the bugs and rot. It's private land.