Oh you sexy thang!
Because of burnt wood I’ve met a quite a few woodpeckers; couple dozen pileated, a handful of flickers, and even handful of white heads all knocking their little heads in charred wood for the treats within and chattering about their discoveries. Because of burnt wood I had the primal fire of my soul sparked alive by the explosion and audible reverberation of a burned BIG tree giving in to gravity. Because of burnt wood I’ve stood gazing at a collection of berry rich scats on a once forested hillside now covered with ravaged Elderberry bushes.
None of this seemed all that remarkable, until now.
The Klamath Mountains have loads of burnt wood. This region is no stranger to wildfire – the native people used fire as a tool here for thousands of years before the Euro-White take over and written history includes the regular occurrence of lightning started wildfires. What has changed in the past 15 years is the size and intensity. There are of course several reasons for this; 100 plus years of suppression and climate change two we hear about frequently. But I want to talk about when the smoke clears and how we relate to the landscape after it has burned, a landscape that many of us are easily willing to dismiss. A place I’m starting to find remarkably “sexy”.
Environmental writer Emma Marris introduced me to the idea of redefining the definition of nature in her thought-provoking Ted Talk Nature is Everywhere: https://www.ted.com/talks/emma_marris_nature_is_everywhere_we_just_need_to_learn_to_see_it?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare) – an excellent use of 15 minutes. She challenges the notion that what most people consider sexy (beautiful, intriguing) nature are landscapes that appear untouched by man, an Eden of sorts. Marris adds that this type of nature does not actually exist as every place on the planet has been touched by man (including human effect on the changing climate and the suppression of natural wildfire). The Eden idea of beautiful nature may actually be keeping us from knowing and loving the true wild nature of our earth. She further describes nature as anywhere life is thriving and diverse. Well, for me, thriving and diverse nature sounds pretty darn sexy.
Steep and forested, dotted with a mosaic of fire transformed landscapes, the Klamath Mountains are a place of true wild nature. The plants here have evolved and adapted to a life with fire; for regeneration, for nutrient cycling. The trees deep rooted, thick skinned hulks of vascular sexiness. Because of the weather patterns (and life on the planet is in the business of living and it gets on with it) plants thrive here. Forbs and shrubs flourish following a fire with incredible fortitude; an alluring and seductive attraction, no doubt, to the abundant profusion of animals who can’t resist such a diverse bounty – me included. It may take decades for the forests to return to a mature distinguished age but in the meantime lets look at these wildfire “scars” not as a blemish but as new strongly flourishing diverse sexy landscapes designed by true wild nature.
Wild Escape Guides 