Bighorn Fire — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The Bighorn Fire
is burning up
my mountain
all my tears
won’t put it out.
— kenne
Becoming is Superior to Being I come closest to succeeding by sharing.
A Few of Kenne’s Photos (Click on any image to see in slideshow)
Virginia & Jim At The Hunter Trail Saddle
Doves, Lightening, Hiking
Friday with Friends & Molino Basin to Prison Camp
Sycamore Reservoir
Ed On Marshell Gulch Trail
La Milagrosa Loop Hikers
Turkey Vulture at Tanque Verde Wash
Carpenter bee on sneezeweed
Cactus Wren
Chase & Grandma Joy
Audrey, Joy, Hannah and Kenne
SCVN Weds Walk 08-01-12
Queen Butterfly
Kate and Jaxon
Queen Butterfly
Queen Butterfly
Domingo DeGraziaās Spanish-guitar band
Southern California September 2012
Mountain Spiny Lizard
All Souls Procession
Flickr Photos
š„
Beautiful poetry
On Fri, Jun 26, 2020 at 5:25 AM Becoming is Superior to Being wrote:
> kenneturner posted: “Bighorn Fire — Photo-Artistry by kenne The Bighorn > Fire is burning up my mountain all my tears won’t put it out. — kenne” >
So sorry for your loss.
The Coronado National Forest has now issued a preliminary burn severity map for the Bighorn Fire. That can be viewed on your computer by clicking on the following URL:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/map/6796/1/99383 (If that fails to “highlight”, copy and paste it to your browser).
If you click on āFull Screenā at the bottom of the map, you can get a new image where you can zoom in with the magnifying glass to see specific areas.
The good news is that this fire couldāve been much, much worse. Less than 5% appears to have burned at a high intensity.
Nearly all of the Marshall Gulch/Aspen Trail loop that is so popular burned but mostly at a moderate or low intensity. A few small pockets burned at a high intensity and, amazingly enough, there appear to be a few small pockets that the fire somehow skipped over and didnāt burn at all. Often forest fires can burn in a somewhat āmosaicā pattern.
Now for the bad news. The area around the fire station and the accompanying north-facing slopes burned very hot and virtually all the trees there are gone. A few trees there might green up again but will probably die later.
There is also a loop or a āhairpinā curve on the road to the radar station above the ski lodge where some huge fir trees were lost.
All and all, it couldāve been worse. So much of the Mountain has burned since the year 2000 that much of the accumulated fuels are gone. Going forward, we might end up seeing a more healthy forest (outside of that 5%, that is).
Regards,
Fred M. Cain,
Topeka, Indiana (Former Tucsonan)
Thanks, Fred. As Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists, we have been kept up to date. Still, your posted comment is most helpful.
Kenne,
What I’m trying to find out is if 17 year old ponderosa pine saplings will all perish in a fire that burns at a moderate severity. I have submitted a question to the Coronado National Forest but haven’t heard back yet. I am hoping and praying that some will survive and that we don’t have to start all over again.
You see, the southern leg of the Marshall Gulch/Aspen Loop trail burned at a moderate severity (yellow on the map) while the northern leg of the loop burned at only a light severity. Through there the trees will probably be O.K. but in the yellow areas shown on the map – maybe not. We just don’t know yet.
Regards,
Fred M. Cain
I think we will have to wait and see.
Kenne,
Well, I did actually hear back from a gentleman at the Coronado National Forest. He basically told me that he drove up there and was looking at the patches that had regenerated following the Aspen Fire and he saw that āsome trees got scorched and some didnātā.
He said he also saw many trees that that got burned but had 25-40% of their needles still green so that they can perform photosynthesis.
He said that sometimes fire is the ābest thingā for these patches of new trees. āMany might burn but there will usually be a few that surviveā.
He stated that these trees are well adapted to fire. He also mentioned that he is planning a trip to the Marshall Gulch area and said heād get back to me to see what he saw there.
My impression of this whole thing (and Iām praying that Iām not wrong) is that although this fire actually was much larger than the 2003 Aspen Fire, it appears as though it didnāt do nearly as much damage ā at least not to the forest. There is, however, some concern that saguaros at the lower elevation may have been damaged. Weāll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out.
Regards,
Fred M. Cain
Thanks for the info. My impression is efforts to protect Summerhaven trails like Marshall Gulch, Aspe, Mint Springs, and Sunset Trails may have faired well. However, I remain very concerned about trails on the northside like Red Ridge, Oracle RidgeCrystal Springs, Butterfly, Davis Springs, and Knagge Trails. It also appears they did an excellent job of protecting the Willow Canyon area. Again, we will have to wait and see.
I’m hoping some of the Sabino Canyon volunteers, who usually patrol the Summerhaven and Willow Canyon area will have access soon.