Windy Cut Overlook - Deer Creek Watershed, Tehama County, Northern California by Zeke Lunder

View up Deer Creek Canyon from Windy Cut Helipad, on Highway 32 about 40 miles North of Chico, CA.
Much of the area in this photo burned in the Cub Complex Wildfires, in 2008.

The Cub Fire burned on the South side of Deer Creek (right side of the image). Much of the area that it burned in was unroaded National Forest Land. The fire started high on the slope and backed slowly down into the canyon over the course of several weeks. Many of the lower slope areas burned with low enough intensities and many of the large trees survived the flames. Higher on the slope, the fire burned with high intensity in many areas, and killed more of the larger trees.

In general, fires burning in Deer Creek Canyon in the last century have tended to have similar behavior - burning moderately in the deep shady areas near the creek, and burning hotter on the upper slopes. Many large trees along the canyon-bottom testify to this.