A 56-year-old man died on Memorial Day after falling about 500 feet from a ridge on the summit of Mount Russell in the Sequoia National Park in California, officials said.
A 56-year-old man died on Memorial Day after falling about 500 feet from a ridge on the summit of Mount Russell in the Sequoia National Park in California, officials said.
At least a tenth of the world’s mature giant sequoias were destroyed by a single California wildfire that tore through the southern Sierra Nevada last year,.
The consequences of losing large numbers of giant sequoias could be felt for decades, forest managers said. Redwood forests are among the world’s most efficient at removing and storing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The groves also provide critical habitat for native wildlife and help protect the watershed that supplies farms and communities on the San Joaquin Valley floor.
Brigham, the study s lead author, cautioned that the numbers are preliminary and the research paper has yet to be peer-reviewed. Beginning next week, teams of scientists will hike to the groves that experienced the most fire damage for the first time since the ashes settled.