The roots of a rotten log are consumed by fire, returning nutrients to the soil that will promote the next generation of trees and other vegetation.
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.
