carnage in the woods

Deciduous and coniferous trees have very strategic structural adaptations to deal with harsh winter conditions. Deciduous trees lose their leaves for a reason - to alleviate weight bearing mass on their woody frames. in other words - leave drop so they can handle snow. This weekend, we were witness to trees when winter preceeds fall. Sheer and utter devastation.

Bear meadows at the intersection with kettle. The forest service has been working hard to clear the roads.

Kettle trail - my little trail helper. We passed another working on trails on his own. props to the local cycling community - we love our trails and forest.

Chaya doesn't have to worry about spokes or a derailleur. she just bunny hops it all.
Right: Some stop to smell the flowers, others the leaves...


up tuxedo...really there is a trail here. we found it.

in some instances entire trees were on the ground.
We moved as much as we could.

it was lovely none the less. so much snow.



Ironically, this "devastation" is a very natural process. we only find it unnatural because it impedes OUR use of the forest. In a truly natural system, woody debris would accumulate incrementally burning off in phases. However we have effectively eliminated fire from our forests on the east - case in point take note - most of the down trees are red maples. this topic however is an entirely different post. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Natural or not, my heart was a bit sore seeing the forest so torn up.