By Jenny Meisel

Amid all the devastation and destruction caused by the Beachie Creek Fire in 2020, the land is slowly beginning to heal and recover. Almost everywhere you go there are signs of native plants coming back.  Seeing so many native plants beginning to re-sprout and re-generate is proof that these plants are resilient, and we will see a thriving native plant community once again in the Santiam Canyon.  Within 1 month after the fire, native plants were already beginning to show signs of recovery, and today some plants have put on almost 10 feet of growth!  Here is a photo collection showing native plant recovery from 1 month after the fire to 1 year after the fire.