Glorious Utah, a bristlecone walk and Inspiration Point
Mike and I had decided to join another ranger led walk which starts at Rainbow Point and leads round a short trail, specifically to look at the bristlecone pine trees. These iconic pines are extraordinarily long lived, the Methuselah tree in the White Mountains of California held the record for the oldest living thing until only recently. In Bryce, as well as most areas with any human population, forest fires are normally extinguished. Small, natural, forest fires are essential for a healthy forest. They clear out the brush giving space to the trees which can survive smaller burns, and also aid the seed germination of some species. Unfortunately the lack of a normal burn means that when the fires occur there is a large accumulation of brush which leads to a hotter fire which destroys the trees. We had seen this when we first came to Bryce and noticed a large area of dead burnt trees. In Bryce they are now experimenting with lighting smaller burns to stop the huge conflagrations that...