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Welcome
to Point of Interest Road
Signs! A
collection of photos of road and trail signs. Click
here for more Wyoming Signs
After
the Fires
Location
of sign - John D. Rockefeller Parkway - US 287 near Yellowstone but
before the Yellowstone south entrance.
Photo
taken May 2008
Close-up
view of sign
Wide
view of sign
Text
of sign:
After
the Fires
Charred
trunks mark the wildfire's path. It can look like the death of a forest
- yet within days after the fires, elk and moose
return
to browse unburned plants and new shoots begin to transform the blackened
swath.
Whenever
people visit the Yellowstone area they are traveling through a fire-created
environment. Over the centuries extensive
wildfires
have swept through these forests and grasslands. Tree ring evidence
shows that major fires like the fires of 1988 have
charred
the area every 200-400 years.
Free
from human interferences, fire assures the long-range health of the
forest. Return a few after a fire and experience the lush
mat
of grasses, flowers and shrubs. Exposed to more sunlight pine seedlings
of a renewed forest will rise among the standing snags.
Within the hottest fire perimeter, there are green islands of untouched
forest. A burned area's patchwork of habitats support
greater
diversity of wildlife.
Elk
soon wander back to mineral-rich ash. Animals eat the unburned vegetation,
and benefit from nutritious new growth.
Description
of graphics on sign:
In
addition to the text there are two photos - one showing the patchwork of
burned area and the other showing a returning elk.
Please help us
out by submitting
a photo!
You
can find more information about the state of Wyoming here.
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