Madrone trees stand out in the forest. They have thin orange branches that seem to dance and argue for light in the dark forest where they are invariably over shadowed by the giants: redwood; sequoia; douglas fir. Madrone grow quickly but not quick enough. They flower in great profusion and throw more seed than the conifers.... Their real fitness though is that they survive forest fires and after the big trees are toppled by disaster, they thrive...for a while.
