In August 2006 the Shake Table Fire burned 14,500 acres in the forests of Eastern Oregon. I just happened to be there and got the opportunity to photograph the fire making it's biggest run.
Early in July I had the chance to go back to the burn and witness just how well it was growing back. I've seen quite a few burns a year or two after and they almost always look good. The Shake Table Fire is amazing. The amount of wildflowers,knee high grass and feed is abundant throughout the entire burn. It was quite amazing to see the contrast of colors with all the burnt trees as a back drop.
Don't get me wrong, the fire did get very hot and destroyed quite a few trees (a lot are actually still able to be harvested and will be soon) but the undergrowth and fallen timber in this area is out of control and when a fire does start it burns very hot and quick. This area is now very clean and supports large fields of feed and there's still lots of habitat for all the wildlife, big and small. I'm not suggesting that everyone throw their torches into the forest to help clean it up but maybe it's not the evil that everyone has been selling us since elementary school.
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