The National Park Service kindled the blaze May 4 at Bandelier National Monument to clear underbrush. Strong wind whipped it into an inferno that turned massive stands of ponderosa pines to what looked like blackened toothpicks from the air. The blaze raced over parched mountains and through rugged canyons. In some areas, the blaze became, in forestry jargon, a climax stand replacement fire. The team has yet to determine how much acreage was sterilized, but it will be much less than the 47,000 acres the fire has covered.
Organic matter is the key to forest health.
In some places, ash is more than a foot deep, Paxon said. The ash is not only from the burned trees but also from decades of plant debris built up on the forest floor. Too much forest litter buildup intercepts precipitation. Forest growth is slowed. The combination of hardpan, steep slopes and ash make the area ripe for erosion during New Mexico's thunderstorm season, which usually begins in early July and lasts through August.