Fireweed reclaiming burned land near the Little Klappan River in British Columbia, Canada (© Carr Clifton/Minden Pictures)

【August 9 2014】After a forest fire, the soil is often left full of calcium carbonate that slows regrowth. Luckily, fireweed doesn’t mind that sort of soil, so it’s often a colony species – the first to grow in a barren environment and act as a catalyst for the forest’s eventual regeneration. Rapid growth of fireweed and other colonizing plants helps prevent erosion while allowing slower-growing woody plants a chance to regain their hold and make a charred field into a forest again.Explore breathtaking Gallery from the HuluTrip homepage over the past 5 years..