In 2003, a forest fire located on China Hat Road, about 3.5 miles southeast of Bend, burned approximately 3800 acres of the Deschutes National Forest.
The area had once been covered in lodgepole pine, but the fire changed all of that.
The area is slowly reforesting, but burned out trees still cover the area. Tonight it was the backdrop for more sunset photos. Even with the barren land, it is still beautiful. I hope you agree.
Maralee
Through My Lens 
Wow, absolutely stunning captures, Maralee!
Thanks, Brian. I appreciate it.
I know they say fires are sometimes good for the earth and plants, but I find it destructive and sad when it happens ( because of how long it takes to repair itself, and the animals that die unnecessarily). It does however, add a dramatic quality to your pictures. Beautiful photographs! 🙂
I think I like the first one the best. It has an other-wordly air to it.
Beautifully in its starkness. I understand that often forest fires are allowed to burn, it is the natural cycle of nature. It is just a shame when they are caused by careless humans.
We occasionally have fires caused by human carelessness, but most of the fires we have here are caused by lightning strikes. The area where we live is extremely dry in the summer and we get thunderstorms that will have more than 2,000 lightning strikes at a time, so forest fires are something we have to deal with every year.
The third one is my favorite of the set.
It is still beautiful, but I find burnt out forests to be a little bit haunting. So sad.
It is sad when the forest burns. Most of the fires we have here are caused by lightning strikes. We live in an area that is extremely dry in the summer and we get thunderstorms roll through that have upward of 2,000 lightning strikes at a time, so forest fires are a part of living here.
Open this post with my breakfast this morning … and I had to come back to it later .. here I’m!
Like the “nakedness” in the trees/forest against the sky … burned tree my favourite, it’s a bit brutal.
I reallz like zour last 3 photos!
Sorry. I misspelled my comment. I had my keyboard in Romanian, and here Z is Y.
I really like your last 3 photos.
The first image is my personal favorite of this series. I get the sense of desolation and beauty in this photograph! Thanks for sharing Maralee..