They were a homeland for the Mescalero Apache, and a landmark for Butterfield Stage drivers. The Guadalupe Mountains rise 5,000 feet above the desert plains and sand dunes in Far West Texas.

The surroundings are misleading. The high country of Guadalupe Mountains National Park is an oasis – forested in pines and firs, oaks and aspens.

In spring 2016, much of that forest burned for the first time in a century. But officials say the fire was a boon for the park, and for the mountain ecosystem.

It began May 7th, with a lightning strike at the park's north end. It struck near Coyote Peak. The blaze that followed was named the Coyote Fire.

John Montoya is the Guadalupes' fire manage...