The West Baptism River near the town of Isabella in Northern Minnesota, Superior National Forest.

A Forest Service road winds through the burn scar of the 2021 Greenwood Fire in northeastern Minnesota, where charred trunks and open sightlines reveal the scale of the blaze that ultimately consumed more than 27,000 acres of Superior National Forest. The fire began in August 2021 after a lightning strike ignited drought-stressed timber, rapidly expanding under unusually dry and windy conditions. At its peak, roughly 500 firefighters, support staff, and aerial crews worked to protect cabins, roads, and the nearby communities spread across Lake County.

This photograph was made inside the restricted closure zone during the period when the U.S. Forest Service still had nearly 100 personnel assigned to monitoring, repair work, and suppression repair. The skeletal tree canopy and exposed soil illustrate the early stages of ecological recovery—an ongoing process that will shape this section of the Northwoods for decades.

A small roadside firewood stand sits quietly beneath a star-filled sky near Isabella in northern Minnesota, a gateway community to the Superior National Forest. These honor-system stands are common throughout the Northwoods, supplying bundled campfire wood to travelers headed toward nearby campgrounds, trailheads, and remote lake cabins. Long-exposure headlights from passing vehicles streak across the background, contrasting with the stillness of the surrounding forest and the clear autumn night above.

A sign reading "No Campfires" during the Minnesota drought as seen near Isabella, Minnesota.