Friday, July 20, 2005. 
Drive up South Grade, observe vegetation changes with elevation changes.  At Palomar State Park, observe Ceanothus growing on south side, where Palomar Fire burned in 1987.  At Silvercrest Picnic Area, talk about fire behavior in forest conditions.  View 400-year-old cedar, and “circle” ‘round a large oak tree.  At Boucher Loop, view site of Palomar Fire in 1987, where fire was slope- and wind-driven.  At Doane Pond Parking lot, observe fuel load of dead trees and nearby school camp that has high fire risks.  At Birch Hill (county park), talk about whether the logged areas “ok” for now.  At Mendenhall Valley Road, notice the logging slash and the wildfire threat to Birch Hill.  Maybe stop at Fry Creek Campground, where Forest Service is contracting for dead tree removal and thinning of over-stocked stands.  Campground is in a “chimney” canyon.  At Penny Pines site on East Grade, observe mastication (brush-chipping machine) and potential for slope-driven fires coming up from the valley.