On the earliest visits before any vegetation began to grow, we saw evidence of the smoldering aspect of wildfire. During the initial, raging phase of fire, the understory quickly burns away completely, leaving downed wood and fallen branches and small trees to smolder for days and sometimes weeks. Wherever two branches or trees touched during this smoldering phase, a more intense heat was generated which allowed the burning and smoldering to continue. Eventually enough wood burned away, creating space for the air to cool the fire. The result is sculptural evidence of the layered intensity of fire..