October 15, 2016
Inside the Copper King fire area ~ Part 2
Most of the photos in the previous post showed badly burned places within the area of the Copper King fire. The photos which now follow show many areas within the fire area that escaped the flames and which will help the whole area in its recovery. All photos in these two posts were taken from within the northeast sector of the fire area. The snow-capped peak that shows up in several of the pictures is Thompson Peak which is in the area of the Chippy Creek fire which burned 150 square miles in 2007.
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Montana Outdoors 
Beautiful photos of a sad event. But nature’s regeneration is good for the land in many ways. Looks cool up there now.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — October 15, 2016 @ 12:52 pm
From what I’ve seen so far, this fire was a beneficial one. We will make several more trips into the area before winter I hope.
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Comment by montucky — October 15, 2016 @ 9:32 pm
Looking forward to your pics.
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Comment by wordsfromanneli — October 15, 2016 @ 9:55 pm
It looks like you got several inches up there, and while there were still leaves on some of the trees by the looks.
Even the remains of a fire can’t dampen the beauty of the place though; it’s really something to see.
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Comment by New Hampshire Garden Solutions — October 15, 2016 @ 3:20 pm
Yes, there was about 4 inches of snow remaining in the shady spots and the ground was frozen. Nearly all of the trees still have their leaves here, but they are starting to gall rapidly now. The aspens haven’t even turned color yet in most places around here. There is still a lot of beauty in the area and the surrounding forests. The open areas will be wonderful for the elk herds in the next few years.
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Comment by montucky — October 15, 2016 @ 9:36 pm
Can’t get over what clear blue skies you have in the images.
The area is still beautiful, despite the blackened tree trunks and branches.
The first snow falls of the season only enhance the beauty. I well remember the US series Frontier House which was set in Montana and introduced me to your state, Terry. Even though it was made 13-14 years ago, I still remember the first snows that hit the 3 families as they tried to prepare for winter the old-fashioned way.
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Comment by Vicki — October 15, 2016 @ 5:15 pm
On clear days our skies are very clear. When no fires are burning there is hardly any pollution here at all. We are far from all major cities and sparsely populated in the rural areas and the sky gets deep blue. It is normal to get our first snow in late September or early October. The first ones usually melt quickly, then more come and paint the high country white before leaving much in the valleys. I will be hiking in the back country as much as possible now before the high road are closed by snow and ice.
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Comment by montucky — October 15, 2016 @ 9:42 pm
It’s really beautiful. I’m glad it’s considered a beneficial fire.
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Comment by Candace — October 18, 2016 @ 7:39 am
In the area of the fire that I’ve been able to see, it really opened up part of the forest, which will be good for the large animals. I still haven’t gotten into the heavily burned part yet due to the weather conditions.
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Comment by montucky — October 18, 2016 @ 7:56 am
Gorgeous blue skies. Perhaps I am strange but I often see beauty in the starkness of burnt forests. When the startling bright green regrowth finally shoots around blackened earth and trunks it is a wonderful contrast. I love the shost of the road with the snow laden trees. I see nothing like that here. I’m so pleased it seems to have been a beneficial fire.
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Comment by Jane — October 21, 2016 @ 5:55 am
There is always beauty in a forest. I’m very happy that here it is possible to see so much of it.
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Comment by montucky — October 21, 2016 @ 8:12 am
Will the trees which are still green survive or are they too badly scorched?
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Comment by Finn Holding — October 22, 2016 @ 3:40 am
The ones with a fairly full green canopy will survive. It has been long enough after the flames that most of those that will not make it are already brown.
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Comment by montucky — October 22, 2016 @ 9:16 am
That’s good, looks like there are plenty of live trees. Left to reseed.
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Comment by Finn Holding — October 23, 2016 @ 9:18 am
For the Lodgepole pine species, the reseeding has already begun. The cones of this species hold the seeds in a hard resin and it takes the heat of a fire to release them.
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Comment by montucky — October 23, 2016 @ 10:15 am