Between July and October, the warm air brings lots of moisture with it, creating powerful monsoon storms. Monsoons give the Rim one of the highest rates of lightning strikes in the country. In a place where the urban and forest environments overlap, wildfire suppression is an important job. It protects people and their homes, but it also interrupts the natural cycle of a forest. Naturally, a Ponderosa pine forest burns frequently, leaving healthy trees widely spaced with lush grass and wildflowers between.
Fire helps control the spread of natural tree parasites like mistletoe.
Look for places where trees are crowded and undernourished. This is a result of fire suppression and is tinder for catastrophe.