Where Is This Going?

One question you always have to ask is, "Where is this going?"  What will this piece of ground look like in 10 years, or 20, or 100, or 200?  The best way to be certain that you got the correct answer would, of course, be to return to the location in 20 years, or 200.  But, for most of us, that will not be possible.  So, what else can we do?  One thing that I try to do is to look at a different piece of ground nearby that is 20 years ahead of where I am standing.  In other words, this place where I am standing is going to look—in 20 years—like that place over there does today.  As an example, the picture above is from today; the picture below is from 20 years from now.  What is the answer?  Manzanita.  Which is fine, but human patience is required if forests are desired.