Thanks all for the links
At least it is headed toward rock.See?
I just spent 5 days exploring a part of Yosemite NP affected extensively by the 2015 Rim fire. Between the Mather Ranger Station and Harden Lake, south of the big Hetch Hetchy reservoir - mostly base camped at Smith Meadow and day hiking the surrounding trails. (And some inadvertent cross country caused by stupidly losing the trail at one point)
Even in the areas totally burned out -- which looked like they were probably second growth forest after logging that preceded the incorporation within park boundaries --- there was a lot of regrowth of seedlings to trees up to 6 feet tall.
In the areas of virgin forest, it was clear the extent to which low intensity fires are healthy to the forest, taking out the smaller trees and killing off the lower branches in the big trees.?
The worst part was the invasive buckthorn that hems many of the trails. I wouldn't advise hiking the area in shorts, skirts or kilts. I took my usual kilt because I expected hot days but I should have brought pants instead. My legs would have been really cut up if I hadn't had not carried a surprisingly effective baselayer lower, one that didn't tear easily.??
It actually was an encouraging hike given how much fire we now have in my state. I'm hopeful that our 2020 experience will lead to better forest management since we now know we can't put it off forever. But it will require action on the national level since so much of our forest is in USFS or BLM jurisdictions. The state has to get more accepting of prescribed burns and overcoming local opposition to them.
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John Curran Ladd
1616 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA? 94114-3707
415-648-9279
John Ladd