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Mammoth redwood trees have evolved along with fire, but humans are disrupting that delicate balance

LOS ANGELES — When wildfire tore through giant sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada last year, researchers estimated hundreds of the towering trees — maybe 1,000 — were killed.

Researchers now believe a wildfire last year killed 10% to 14% of the world’s natural sequoia population.

Researchers now believe a wildfire last year killed 10% to 14% of the world's natural sequoia population.

Castle Fire may have killed a tenth of the world's giant sequoia, a shocking new NPS study has found What was once a lush forest is now a "moonscape." At least a tenth of the world's mature giant sequoias were destroyed by a single wildfire that tore through the southern Sierra Nevada late last year, according to a draft report prepared by scientists with the National Park Service and shared with the Visalia Times-Delta. The catastrophic discovery that forest managers called "mind-blowing" comes five months after firefighters contained the Castle Fire — which scorched 175,000 acres across...