My husband came across this while hiking the Arizona Trail. Approximate area was North East of Pine, AZ. Is this 1 tree (old dead and new living)? Is it 2 trees (did one take over the other)? It's so unique and we've never seen anything like this.
by Spillerwoods
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It’s a manzanita, [*Arctostaphylos* species](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=34.44597487421986&nelng=-111.27234648029292&place_id=any&subview=map&swlat=34.29011135848346&swlng=-111.60880277912105&taxon_id=47179&view=species). They are famous for their beautiful red bark. Many mature plants show damage from past fires. The living cambium continues to make new bark in areas that were not killed, with the grey heartwood still exposed in the more damaged areas.