Forests
-John Eickert
14,000 years ago, ice dominated the mountains here in Montana. Thick blankets of ice covered the valleys and filled the canyons. Time changed and this part of the world warmed again, once being a vast inland sea and then
ruled by dinosaurs. With the retreat of the glaciers came a unique forest, a fire forest. Ancient species of coniferous trees, long lost relatives to those trees fringing the primeval inland sea, took hold in the thin post-glacial soils and thrived. True to
their heritage, these trees were eager and aggressive, so much so that their habitat competition slowed individual species progress. Nature has a way. These thick coniferous forests became dependent on lightning strike fire to thin their stands and release
nutrients. The forests expanded and where once the glacier dominated now it was the time of the evergreen.
Man came to the landscape and brought change. We cut the largest and most stable of these forests, not knowing or concerned for consequences. This continued for decades. Early timber users viewed forest fire as a foe to
their needs and suppressed all fire. The forests, denied an important ecosystem element, stopped their advance. Their time of domination in the mountains was over. Mankind dominates and dictates.
Nature has a way. Over the last twenty years and accelerated in the last ten, the annual temperature here has warmed. This year, the temperature has held near twelve degrees F above average, night and day. The means of
moisture has also changed. Once, most of the annual moisture fell as snow, with that snow covering the forests until late June. Now more moisture falls as rain and the forests become snow free in April. Without that protective cover, the forests, the organic
debris, and the soil dry. Fire comes again to sculpt the land, but now, due to generations of misuse, we can only watch.
The hand of God is evident and nature fascinates. The smoke from burning forests has choked the air here, creating an effect of morning fog along the Ganges. The air is thick and stings the eyes, burns the throat. These
conditions will persist until the snow falls, a condition still months away. The adventure lies in the mind and coping with dense, thick air. Our days grow dark by mid-afternoon and interior home lights come on. The mind worries, will the sky come again? Of
course, this season of firestorm will pass and the sky will come again, setting the table for further adventure. In time, fire will clear the forests and pave the way for the next ecosystem to emerge. The trees, which remain after this process, will set the
tone for the next millennium. The adventure continues.
In India, the monsoon will end and the rivers will subside. In Montana, the fire season will end and the sky will clear. There is no perfect place or time. I am already planning my next adventure, what is yours? Cheers.
This awesome picture was taken in the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana on August 6, 2000 by a fire behavior analyst from Fairbanks, Alaska by the name of John McColgan with a Digital camera.