The Mediterranean-type forest is very resistant to fire. Its regeneration capacity is extraordinary! I checked these facts a few days ago when I walked through Baião (Oporto district), a region where large fires occurred in August this year. I visited Baião a few days after the fire, and the landscape was sadly desolate - the only colours were black (from the burned plants) and brown (from the soil). Meanwhile, it rained considerably.

Some herbaceous plants germinated, forming patches of green. I was especially amazed to see that the bushes (namely kermes oaks, strawberry trees, rock roses and heaths) and trees (mainly cork oaks) were bursting! Young, light green leaves grew from the base of most of the bushes and tree branches. The landscape's colours were no longer just black and brown but also light green! It was a sunny day.

The black of the twisted and burnt trunks and their shadows, the brown of the soil and some burned pine leaves would form a desolate and pessimistic scenario if it weren’t for those little green leaves! Great hope and joy emerged from the scene! If it weren’t for nature’s ability to regenerate, life would no longer exist on Earth... I captured the moment of wonder with an old Hasselblad H4D. The colour rendering of the 40 MP sensor continues to amaze after decades of use.