SANTIAM PASS: FIRE AFTERMATH PHOTO ESSAY

A Santiam Pass fire isn’t finished when the last flames are out.

There’s the environmental clean-up.

Then restoration.

They bring out the manpower and big rigs for the work.

Imagine what it looked like during the fire based on what it looks like now.

Is terrifying too much? I don’t think so because it jumped the road, jumped the river, and left foundations where houses used to be.

When it goes, it goes big.

This isn’t a ridge of trees that dropped their leaves.

Not all trees came down.

The piles get bigger along the way.

Manpower and machine power do the work.

The variety of rigs depend on the job at hand. They looked specialized for the task.

The Santiam Pass cuts through the Cascade mountains, a man made road.

It’s not the Oregon Trail or the Columbia Gorge cutting through the mountains, but a highway.

It used to have a border of evergreens. Now it’s bare trees and sawdust. That’s the orange trail.

But it’s not the only orange along the way. From sawdust to new constructions, it’s the same orange with a different result.

Like most natural disasters people endure, building back better is a driving goal.

It’s a goal shared with common sense and preparation for the future.

Would you rebuild in a fire zone? How about a flood zone?

Hopefully you’ll never need to answer such questions.

Last word: Listen to Smokey The Bear and don’t dick around with fire on the Santiam Pass, a campground, or your backyard.

Remember, Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires.