Recent strands are mixed with Russian olive. Thick cottonwood bosques are relatively unproductive for most wildlife, although they provide important cover. Disturbed areas, such as old burns which are returning to forest, provide more useful food production. The succession pattern on burned areas varies with the severity of the fire, soil, water conditions, and other fac- tors. Exotic trees are most likely to make inroads during this stage.
Dense canopy shades out most other trees.
These homogeneous stands are rare in the floodway due to wood cutting and channelization efforts. Flooding seems to play an important role in reseeding burnt areas with trees. An even-aged mixed bosque east of the La Luz subdivision was seeded during a flood in the spring of 1941. Fires burn only what is above ground leaving roots to sprout new trees. While burned areas are regenerating, they provide important wildlife feeding areas.