Spring Arrives in Lassen Park, May 2021

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
1

Lassen_May2021
Lassen_May20211500Ă—1200 1020 KB

Description:

This is from an area in Lassen National Park (northern California) that burned in 2012. There are lots of burned trees still standing and lots that have fallen. It was just starting to have some nice revegetation, with lots of birches returning, along with willows and other shrubs and flowers. The new spring growth on the birches and willows caught my eye because of the contrast with the remains.

Unfortunately, this area burned again last year in the Dixie fire, and it probably is a total wasteland now. We made our first trip since the Dixie fire to the Park yesterday, but didn’t hike down this trail. The area around it, though, looked like a bomb went off.

Specific Feedback Requested:

Any comments welcome, although I’m not looking to brighten it up any more. It fits the mood of the day.

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

a7r3, 78mm, f/16, 1/50s, ISO 400.

1 Like
2

Bonnie, this is definitely stark and disheartening. It’s supposed to be rare to have the same area burn twice in less than several decades, but I’ve seen it happen in Yellowstone also. The result is an area that takes much onger than normal to recover. The mix of verticals and fallen trees looks good with the “rim” of new growth. That new growth would survive a second fire only if the fire went around it and even then, the heat likely would cause damage.