Vegetation development, including both planted and natural tree seedlings, was examined over a 5-year period on an area in the ESSFmw subzone of the Nelson Forest Region which was clearcut, skid logged, burned, and planted with 2 + 0, 313, Engelmann spruce. Study sites included the cutbank, mid-trail, and sidecast portions of the skid trails and the intervening prescribed burned area. Fireweed was the most prominent invading species, and affected tree growth, particularly on the sidecast, by shading and crowding the trees. Black huckleberry, regenerating from root stalks, was common on the burned sites, but had marginal influence on Engelmann spruce development over 5 years. The best tree growth occurred on the burned sites, followed by the sidecast, mid-trail, and cutbank sites. Consideration should be given to omitting the cutbank planting site and moving the mid-trail planting site inward on slopes of 30% or more. Key words: Engelmann spruce, ESSFmw biogeoclimatic subzone, slash burn, vegetation succession, fireweed