The bald face of this mountain and the brilliant foliage in the foreground are both the product of the same destructive force: forest fire.

Forest fires in the Yukon Territory of Canada are allowed to burn without control if the don’t threaten people or property because the area is incredibly difficult to navigate. This will leave entire mountainsides bare before deciduous trees like white paper birch begin to fill in the empty expanses. They will flourish for about ten years before coniferous cypress trees overtake and outgrow them.