Forest and Fire Nature Trail Fire Ecology

This trail is a great place to explore a post-fire environment. Any disturbance—whether that’s a fire, an avalanche, a landslide, or a pest outbreak—resets the ecological clock. The mature trees die, opening the canopy to light and making way for new species to take hold. Gradually, the new forest matures—this is called ecological succession. Fire is unique because it favors certain species to grow back. As you hike, look for pink fireweed and other wildflowers that reseed an area after a fire. Beargrass, which is a small grassy tuft with a tall, white, Dr. Seuss-like flower, easily resprouts from its roots after a burn. If you’re here in the fall, keep an eye out for larch trees—they look like evergreens, but their needles turn bright golden in October and November. Their thick bark helps mature trees survive a fire when other trees may not. Afterward, their tiny wind-blown seeds shower across the burned area, planting thousands of new larch trees. This area burned in 1926, in 1967, and in 2001—relatively short intervals for a cool, wet place like Glacier. Learn more about how our forests are responding to more frequent fires in an episode of Glacier’s podcast, Headwaters. The episode is called “Climate and the Future of Forests” and features an interview with Dr. Tyler Hoecker. You can find the episode on glacier.org/headwaters, or wherever you get your podcasts.