The Survivors

The foothills where I live still show the noticeable effects of a massive fire that ripped through the area about 4 years ago. The black-and-white skeletal frames of the small oaks which cover the hills create bold outlines against the more colorful emerging undergrowth. I tried using the "Cutout" filter on the original image and then did some fine-tuning of the contrast, color and saturation from there. I wanted to emphasize the myriad of repeating patterns and textures, but I'm unsure as to whether the comp is strong enough on this. Any suggestions for improvement or general impressions on this piece would be greatly appreciated!