photo caption: Regrowth begins in northern New Mexico following 2022’s Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire. Photo © Sharon Stewart.
I looked east across the mountainside, where charcoaled trees seemed to stretch out forever. Across the stream to the north, another mountainside appeared as an endless ripple of black trees. Even if I could plant faster, and even with 100 people out here planting every day, the task felt insurmountable. Who are we, I wondered, to pretend we can ever repair the harm we’ve caused?