Most of the giant sequoias killed by the KNP Complex fire were in a single grove, where flames may have blanketed the tops of the trees that rise more than 250 feet.
The 2020 Castle fire killed between 10% and 14% of the Giant Sequoias on Earth; a new coalition is trying to save the other 90%.
A report, released Monday, found between 7,500 to 10,600 large Giant Sequoias were killed during the fire, which was part of the larger SQF Complex fire. The National Parks Service announced a new coalition, composed of six local, federal and tribal agencies to mitigate a similar event.
Fire burns at low intensity in a forest stand. Low to moderate intensity fire is important for the health of giant sequoias and the coniferous ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada. Without it, these ecosystems become overgrown and more vulnerable to tree mortality in drought or catastrophic wildfires.