Small branches, sticks and pine needles are consumed by a low intensity surface fire. Before human settlement, the Ponderosa Pine forests of northern New Mexico burned once every 4-7 years, regulating tree densities and recycling nutrients back into the soil. Prescribed burns help recreate these natural fire cycles, improving forest health and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Fire guts the inside of a downed aspen tree during a prescribed burn at Bandelier National Monument, NM.
Sometimes I get so caught up on capturing the action on a wildfire that I fail to notice the little things all around me. Although fire is destructive, it can be quite mesmerizing and beautiful too! The most common comment I receive on this photo is that it looks like lava inside a volcano, but it is actually the inside of a smoldering stump.
