Madrona Tree Seward Park

The Pacific Madrona, with it's naturally peeling bark, is a distinctive Pacific Northwest tree. The smooth orange skin is a wonderful complementary color against any natural backdrop. Often you'll see them clinging to the edge of a cliff. If viewed from the beach, looking up, the blue of the sky sets off the orange and green in a magnificent manner.

Of the circular "wound" on the trunk in the picture above, one can imagine it's the remainder of a removed branch, but what about that long vertical split, is this a symptom of disease?

Madronas are slowly disappearing from the landscape. Part of the reason is (forest) fire control. Mature trees apparently survived the fire more readily than any other tree, while saplings would appear quickly on the burned ground. As though the heat of the fire is a necessary prerequisite needed to make the seeds burst and germinate.