Reflections on the Wallow Fire

This is a hill just south of Nutrioso, Arizona. The photo shows what happens when the fire gets into the crown of the trees. The hillside in the background is burned completely and all of the trees are dead. In the foreground, you can see how the fire moves in a chaotic fashion, some of the trees are burned and dying, others are not touched at all. The rule of thumb is that in a severe burn, about 1/3 of the trees will burn completely, 1/3 scorched like those in this picture and 1/3 untouched. From the news accounts, you would get the impression that the whole fire was like the hillside, this is not the case. Some of the trees will survive.