Surviving Fire

The tree was in the best spot to balance the sunlight needed to grow shining over the hills and the river flow nearby to keep the soil moist.

It had a few years of uninterrupted growth, enough to last through the first fire. There were a few more fires across the next decade or so, more than was needed for the health of the land. But the tree survived them all.

It grew tall, and strong, and thick, until it was the largest tree in the forest, then the largest one on the planet, then cut down to make matches.