One result of the 2005 fire was to leave dead standing trees called snags. You can see some of these to the right of the trail. Snags attract many forms of wildlife. For example some insects, such as longhorned beetles, lay their eggs in slips cut into the bark. When the larvae emerge from the eggs, they initially bore into the nutritious inner bark and eventually tunnel through the wood before developing into adult beetles. Some boreholes may be seen if you look closely at these snags.

The longhorned beetled and the other insects found on the snags are an important food for many types of birds. Over time, the snags may become nesting sites for the common flicker and black-capped chickadee.