Redwood Forest Sunbeams

Coast redwood bark can be a foot thick and holds no resin, so a fire that kills other trees often leaves a redwood scorched but standing. Morning light slants through the haze onto a dirt trail and a forest floor of ferns in a redwood forest jigsaw puzzle that feels very still. When an old redwood does come down, new shoots often spring up in a ring around the stump. People call those circles fairy rings.