Salt Lake Tribune · Oct 28, 2019
Fire-ravaged forests in Southwest get help from pine cone collectors
(Susan Montoya Bryan | The Associated Press) In this Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, photo Ponderosa pine cones sit on a tree stump after being cut open during a demonstration at Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos, N.M. A cone collecting effort is underway in parts of New Mexico and Colorado as conservationists and land managers work to gather seeds to restore forested landscapes following wildfire. Along the Burnt Mesa Trail, N.M. • With snow ready to fall, the scramble was on to collect as many ponderosa pine cones as possible.
A crew outfitted with spurs, ropes and hard hats scaled hefty tree trunks and used long clippers to snip branches loaded with the prickly orbs.