At least 10% of the world’s giant sequoias lost in a single wildfire, report suggests
About 10 to 14% of the world’s giant sequoia trees were destroyed by a single wildfire that swept through California’s Sequoia National Forest last summer, a new draft report from the National Park Service indicates.
The report, which has not yet been made publicly available, used satellite images to show the shocking impact the Castle Fire had on the giant trees, in what experts call an unprecedented mortality event caused by a combination of climate change-driven drought and fire suppression efforts.
“The loss of 7,500 to 10,600 large giant sequoias, many of which are likely thousands of years old, is devastating,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Christy Brigham, chief of Resources Management and Science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, told CNN. “These trees are irreplaceable in our lifetimes.”
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californiachristy brighamenvironmentflora of the united statesgiant forest museumkings canyon national parknate stephensonsequoia national parksequoiadendron giganteumsierra nevadathomas swetnamus geological survey
Photo: David McNew, Getty Images
The climate crisis has put sequoias on a dangerous path. A draft report from the U.S. National Park Service indicates that 10% of the largest trees in the world were wiped out in last year’s Castle Fire.
Sequoias can live for thousands of years. Trees alive today are our connections to deep time. As Christianity rose, the Han Dynasty collapsed, and countless other human activities proliferated around the world, sequoias still alive today silently rose to towering heights in isolated pockets of California’s Sierra Nevada. To stand in the shadow of a giant sequoia is to feel the heft of history drape over you.
About 10 to 14% of the world's giant sequoia trees were destroyed by a single wildfire that swept through California's Sequoia National Forest last summer, a new draft report from the National Park Service indicates.