As the smoke clears on yet another devastating wildfire season in Oregon, questions naturally begin to arise: How bad is it? When can we go back? How long will it take for the forests to grow back?

Answers don’t always come quickly or easily, but to the question of “how long,” we can at least turn to some of the forests in Oregon that have been devastated by other major fires – most notably the Tillamook Burn.

The Tillamook Burn was actually a series of wildfires that burned the same part of the northern Coast Range every six years between 1933 and 1951. And while it’s not a perfect comparison to some of the recent wildfires, the re-growing forest there can offer hope to those feeling despondent over the fire damage this year.

On this week’s episode of the Peak Northwest podcast, we discuss the many hiking trails that wind through the Tillamook State Forest, exploring a forest in the process of recovery nearly 70 years after the Tillamook Burn.

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