Yellowstone’s interpretive center at Grant Village is dedicated to RENEWAL. Exhibits show how Yellowstone ~ the world’s first and oldest national park ~ was able to regenerate itself after the devastating 1988 fire that consumed 793,880 acres (36%).
Many people thought that Yellowstone would never recover. Scientists, however, knew that fire was a necessary part of the cycle of life in a forest. Life would not only go on, but would also benefit from the fire. The fires left large patches of cleared ground opened to the sun. Seeds released from pinecones took root almost immediately. Lodgepole pine seedlings began to grow at the rate of an inch or two per year. Wildflowers were abundant by the following spring, and the grasses and shrubs were a rich green. Nutrients from the ash caused the vegetation to prosper. Trees that didn’t fall became feeding grounds for insects, and the insects in turn attracted many woodpeckers. The holes left by woodpeckers attracted many birds that used them for nests. Yellowstone was far from dead! *
After the passage of over two decades and with visible proof of the forest’s ability to abundantly renew itself, fire’s vital role in maintaining the natural ecosystem is now accepted and appreciated. As part of an interconnected universe, there is reason to pause and reflect on the symbolism this kind of renaissance offers in our own lives.
*Yoxall, Patty. “Yellowstone after the fire.” Current Health 2, Vol. 21, No. 4, December 1994, pp. 16-18.
