Birder’s Night Dec. 10 - 6:30 PM - Scottish Rite Center

Documenting Wildfires Through the Lens of Time

Wildfire Burn Area - 1994

Wildfire Burn Area - 2024

Contributed Photos

John Marshall

John Marshall lives in Wenatchee, Washington. He has a B.S. in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University and an M.S. in Wildlife Resources from the University of Idaho. Marshall’s photography has often been displayed in scientific journal articles. He is the son of the late David B. Marshall, senior author of “Birds of Oregon.”

Wildfire reshapes wildlife habitats like nothing else. Fire is as old as trees and an integral part of nature, yet many recent fires were extreme. In 1994, on the heels of a bad fire season in North Central Washington, John Marshall set up photo points where he has periodically re-taken the same scenes for the past thirty years.

In another endeavor, he replicated over 200 panoramic photographs taken at fire lookouts in the 1930s. Together, the two sets of pictures provide perspective on a phenomenon vital to our understanding of forests, especially in the era of climate change.

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