Mother Nature

One of the interesting parts of the wildfire was that it was necessary. The lodge pole pine has a cone that will only open when heated by fire. In order for the seeds to leave the cone and begin new trees, there must be a fire. For many years the park had tried to avoid fires, but then realized that fire is a natural part of the environment. So when fires occur naturally from lightning, the park service lets them burn within safe parameters. The 1988 fire was one of the first fires after this decision, and it also occured after several years of drought. Therefore, the park service came under a lot of "fire" about it, but it now looks like they were correct.

You can still see burned trunks of lodge pole pine standing above the new growth. It looked like telephone poles sticking up through a new forest.