Santiam State Forest After the Fire: Safety hazards

Above your head and under your feet, not all safety issues in burned areas are obvious

When an area is hit hard by wildfire, just because the fire is "out" doesn't mean it's safe to venture there. Fire can destabilize the entire environment, from treetops to beneath the soil. In sharing these images, we hope to build better understanding of why some areas hit by fire will see longer-term closures, and why ODF urges the public to stay out of burned areas.

Hillsides can become unstable if fire kills off the trees and other vegetation that once held it in place. Rain and high winds can result in landslides months or even years after the fire.

Infrastructure like bridges, roads and trails can be heavily damaged, such as this bridge crossing Shellburg Creek.

An example of damage to stairs that access Shellburg Falls.

Dead trees blocking trails are common after a fire.

Standing dead trees can fall weeks or months after a fire, with little ability to predict when or how. While ODF is focusing on removing hazard trees along roadsides, the fire killed millions of trees in the Santiam State Forest.

Burned-out tree roots create holes and tunnels under the soil - and often you won't be able to see them.