Tribute to a lost collection

I wanted to share some pictures of my collection of Bonsai that was destroyed in the Camp Fire here in Northern CA last October. Many trees were yamadori that I collected over the years, some were with me for 15 years. I thought this would be a fitting place to post a little tribute to them. It has been a sad loss, but I’m actively rebuilding my collection and grateful to have Mirai as a resource to make even better trees in the future!

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Lovely Collection! Glad you made it out of the fire safely.

Damn… I always played with the idea of moving up into the forest and making a nice house with a bonsai collection… And i also tought about what would i do if a fire came to my house… And here i see your post… That really sucks but Im glad you made it out safe.

We were lucky to have made it out safe. 86 people died in the fire and it pretty much leveled Paradise and some neighboring communities. I always knew fire could be a problem in the California foothills, but never imagined we would have one this destructive! Heres a few after pics:

Heartbreaking in so many ways. You had some beautiful trees @b_larson. Way to keep your optimism :+1:

It was a great collection. Sorry for your loss. Was that a bald cypress or a sequoia?

@b_larson I feel so sorry for what happen to you… I hope the time can help you. Take care I wish you all the best

Thanks. It was one of several Coast redwood. I actually have 2 that were the only survivors of the fire. They mostly burned, but the lower trunks sprouted new shoots.

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Wow 2 redwood survived. Thats so bad ass of them. True to their heritage! Rise from the ashes like a Phoenix.

Very sad, thanks for sharing

What a tragic loss. We put our hearts and our souls into our bonsai. They become part of the family.
Acknowledging their passing is an honorable way noting that loss. lt reminds me of the bonsai grown by Japanese Americans and Canadians that were left to die on the benches when their owners were interned in prison camps during WW2.

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Good to hear. Now they have a story to tell.

A beautiful collection and a lovely garden. I cannot begin to fathom the loss you and your community suffered. To lose your trees as well is further heartbreak. So glad to hear you are back at rebuilding it.