Controlled Forest Burn, White Mountains – The above photo is of a controlled burn that was done by Forest Service in May of 2011 along the Kancamagus Scenic Byway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I was able to document the burn site at three different stages of regrowth and was surprised at how quick the forest recouped.
Even though the forest looks ugly after a fire, controlled burns (also known as prescribed burning) are routinely used in forestry management to help in the renewing of forests. I am not an expert on controlled burns so if you are interested, you can learn more about them here.
A couple weeks after the controlled burn, the charred look was almost gone, and new growth had already started. But signs of fire were still visible in the brush and on the forest floor, plus the smell of fire lingered. The fire burned away the dead material allowing for new growth, and the ending result is a healthier forest.
Three months later you would never know this area was subject to fire (foreground). The forest floor had a "new" refreshed look and once again is a typical picturesque forest found throughout the White Mountains. And the smell of fire was gone, which is a big plus.
Documenting a controlled burn is an excellent way to show the renewal of a forest. You can license any of the above images for usage in publications by clicking on the image you are interested in. And you can view more images of the controlled burn here.
Happy image making..
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Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC
Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.
I documented a controlled forest burn in the White Mountains,New Hampshire. http://t.co/ZrQ6kuY