These trees burned first? (yes/no)(I have driven through the area many times, but never really scrutinized the trees to any degree)
If they were first victims of fire, the subsequent decay would leave them much more vulnerable to any disturbance such as the seasonal winds that blast through the area. IF the trees have the "toothpick" look (no root balls attached; a sure sign of fire) than it would not take a catastrophic event to knock them down. Also, if it were an avalanche, I would be inclined to think that the end result would be more of a piling effect, rather than a uniformed scattering of the trees.
B
