Yellowstone National Park

Our shortest drive between parks was from Grand Teton to Yellowstone – about 26 miles. What you notice most when you enter Yellowstone is the dead trees standing tall seemingly everywhere you look. In 1988, a fire raged in Yellowstone for nearly the entire summer burning 1.4 million acres of forest. At the time most people thought it was a major catastrophe and it should not have been allowed to happen. Ecologists argued that it is natural for the forest to burn every century or so and the forest would return healthier than before.

After more than 17 years it is apparent the forest is coming back strong. In the burn areas new trees are growing like weeds. As the old wood falls to the ground it decays and becomes fertilizer for the next generation of trees. While there are signs of the fire, the forest is alive and thriving.