Near Bryce Canyon City in Garfield County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)

A Forest Reborn

Photographed by James Hulse, April 5, 2025

1. A Forest Reborn Marker

Inscription. On June 14, 2009, a lightning strike started the Bridge Fire that burned 3,947 acres in Bryce Canyon National Park and Dixie National Forest. Years of fire suppression had created a crowded, diseased, and less diverse forest. As the fire, a natural agent in the ecosystem, moved through this area, the forest was reborn. After the fire, nutrients were recycled back into the soil, sunlight reached the ground, and a variety of species returned. It may look like destruction, but a closer look reveals new growth. Fire plays an essential role in forest health and regeneration.

Captions
(Photo #1) Burned forests create habitat for a variety of wildlife. The Lewis's woodpecker, shown here, favors open areas of burned forests for foraging, breeding, and nesting.
(Photo #2) Fire, when not suppressed, would occur here every five to 50 years, creating a mosaic pattern of burned and unburned areas.
(Photo #3) Aspen are easily overshadowed, but sprout prolifically from underground root systems after a fire clears the overstory.

Erected by Bryce Canyon National Park, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is June 14, 2009.

Location. 37° 33.563′ N, 112° 14.635′ W. Marker is near Bryce Canyon City, Utah, in Garfield County. It is on Bryce Canyon Road (State Road 63), on the right when traveling south. The marker is located at a rest area in the park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bryce UT 84764, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Canyon Country

and specifically in Color Country. It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Giants of the Sky (approx. one mile away); What’s in a Name? (approx. 5.7 miles away); Fighting Fire with Fire (approx. 5.9 miles away); A Lasting Legacy (approx.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 5, 2025

2. A Forest Reborn Marker

6.1 miles away); Bryce Amphitheater (approx. 6.1 miles away); Serial Homesteaders (approx. 6.1 miles away); The Legend People (approx. 6.1 miles away); Building Bryce and Beyond (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bryce Canyon City.

Also see . . .
1. Red Rocks, Pink Cliffs, and Endless Vistas. Bryce Canyon National Park (Submitted on May 14, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Fire History. (Submitted on October 26, 2025, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)

A view of the forest after the fire image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 5, 2025

3. A view of the forest after the fire

Another view of the forest recovery after the fire image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 5, 2025

4. Another view of the forest recovery after the fire

Photographed by Tom Bosse, June 13, 2025

5. A Forest Reborn Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 132 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 14, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. 5. submitted on October 26, 2025, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.