After the fire: Let the Angeles Forest heal naturally

In August, 2009, the Station Fire burned almost a quarter of the Angeles National Forest, about 250 square miles from Big Tujunga to the West Fork of the San Gabriel River.

Many favorite hiking trails were closed for a couple of years, so now hikers are anxious to see how the fire has affected the forest.

On a December hike on the Devil’s Canyon Trail, we were happy to see signs of natural recovery in the form of many seedlings of Jeffrey Pine and Big-Coned Spruce (aka Big-Coned Douglas Fir).

The seedlings are 1 to 2 feet tall and located in spots that once were shaded by large trees but are now exposed to sunlight. It will be years before these trees reach maturity, not within our lifetimes, but the trees will be back for the next generation of hikers to enjoy.

Ginny Herringer is a Natural Science Section leader. Photos by Herringer, from top: Four big-cone spruce seedlings pop up from the forest floor. A Jeffrey pine seeding and big-cone spruce seedling share a space.