Introduction
The Mediterranean forest is equipped to handle fires. We have to live with fires and high temperatures, lower water reserves and low humidity, together with periods of wind which increase the risk more and more.
Holm oaks are the best example of how the forest adapts to this disruption and in a few years (depending on the intensity of the fire) the forest can have a new structure. In the case of cork oaks, the insulating bark protects the buds which re-sprout once the fire has passed.
The same thing happens with the bushes. Despite losing their top part, many of them can re-sprout from the trunk (if the intensity of the fire was low) or the roots (heather, strawberry tree). In others, like rock-rose, the seeds will germinate again after the fire.
Look at the way you can clearly distinguish the burnt cork from the new growth of cork in the bark of these holm oaks.
Further ahead, we see areas where the fire was more intense. Some small holm oaks have died and the forest now has a lot more clearings. The large shrub-like vegetation has disappeared giving way to rosemary, rock-rose and Spanish lavender, amongst others.