Omak Earth Day: Ashen Footprints in Carlton

As we celebrate Earth Day by planting trees in a local area affected by last year's massive wildfire, we are quickly reminded how it has only been seven months since fires were engulfing the Methow valley-Carlton Complex.

In July 2014 lightning strikes sparked four wildfires across a rather large area that would very quickly merge into the largest wildfire in Washington State history.  Leaving in its wake 256,108 acres of burnt land and destroying 300 homes.

At one point there were over 3,000 firefighters actively working to contain the fire.  The National Guard was even called in to help efforts.

I remember riding the bus to work and seeing convoys of military Humvees with Red Cross painted on them, driving through downtown like a parade.  People would, including myself, stare in speechless terror as they start to realize that this fire was only a hillside away from burning everything they ever loved to the ground.  I soon lived with that look on my face as I watched the fire crest a hillside close to my home.

Helicopters worked in tandem scooping water from a nearby lake then dumping over the fire with great precision but even this proved to be ineffective.  Larger help was needed.  Help that was ushered in by a single engine plane swooping in low, banking above our house.  The plane was low enough that I had to fight my inclination to wave at the visible pilots above.  As the single engine plane continues its long arc around the smoking hillside, the earth began to rumble as a fully stocked DC-10 Air Tanker flies low and fast above us.  The plane swoops and banks with dramatic flair as it paints the hillside red with fire retardant.  It is shortly after this awesome sight that we are told to evacuate our home.

It was just shy of two weeks that we spent in town fearing our home was lost.  Luckily for us it wasn't, but on our drive home we saw the true unforgiving and indiscriminate nature of the fire as acres and homes were leveled while others were never touched.  One house would be ash while just next door a house stood unscathed.   These indeterminate patterns did nothing to quell my fears rather they illustrated how vulnerable we all are regardless of location.  I am forever grateful for the brave men and women that launched themselves into the heart of the beast and fought for weeks on end to save as much of the land and homes as possible.

I can recall the bus loads of DNR and National Guard firefighters whom were dropped off at our store to stock up on camping equipment and toiletries.  Our fairgrounds quickly became a "tent city" as refugees and workmen alike camped for the interim.  It wasn't long before the donations starting pouring in the community gathered it's strength to help each other up.  It's in this honor that we find ourselves planting trees.

We began by surveying the immediate area and, to our amazement, found large expanses of new green lands.  The bright green of new growth sprung from an early spring that gave a stark contrast to the ash laden landscape that lay just over the hillside.  Once we crested the hillside into the Methow Valley around Twisp our scenic adventure was granted the gravitas that seemed so absent before.  Like seeing only one untouched side of a burnt down house.

We planted trees in four different locations all along creeks and streams in an effort to rebuild the creek side's water retaining ability.  Flash flooding was the footnote to a severely exhausting and terrible multi-week event.  Washing out roads, ditches, streams, and in some cases homes.  Our aim was to help prevent future floods from being so severe by increasing the overall structure and root system holding up retaining walls and surrounding area.  These washed creeks had a visible line of washed away earth.  In some cases the washout line was two to three times the normal swell size of the creek or river.

Walking along the creek's edge was like walking through a wood stove.  Despite all the rain, snow, and flooding; the brush, trees, and branches were covered in black soot that, as we walked by, left their blackened fingerprint on our clothes.  I found it poetic and a little saddening the way it, almost mockingly, forced us to see and bare witness to this physical and metaphorical reminder of what happened here.  The wood held up a mirror, showing me my dirtied new shirt and asked me "Do you feel good? Have you done enough?" and unavoidably the answer was no.

Our trees will hopefully serve the land well and we hope to see them grow for years to come however our humble lot of 80 trees will only serve a very small area of the total 256,108 acres that still need your help.

If you would like to contribute or help in anyway please do so by contacting your local DNR representative or by going to http://www.ccanrelief.org/3

Written by Brandon Lovejoy

Special thanks to:
The Department of Natural Resources for donating 80 trees.

North 40 tree planting crew members:
Brandon Lovejoy
Shawna Day
Shawna Freel
Tanner Way