We got into the burned area of the West Zone of the Dixie Fire on September 10, right after about a half-inch of rain. We looked at some of the ways the fire has affected the forests. The two videos below show what we saw on our trip.
This first video shows post-fire forest conditions west of Chester and north of Westwood near Swain Mountain, and on the Hat Creek Rim, east of Old Station. We also show some photos of burned areas in the middle of Lassen Park, northwest of Mt. Harkness.
There is no doubt the Dixie Fire has been traumatic beyond belief for just about everyone involved. The evacuations, destruction of Greenville and Indian Falls, and of other homes across almost one million acres leaves deep scars and grief.
But fire will always be part of the story in our mountain communities, and we need to learn about the good work it can do when we use it and let it do its job.
This video shows a different face of fire and also a small piece of good news about a place many of us locals care deeply about.