Wildfire’s toll heavy on giant sequoias, scientists report

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — 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, according to a draft report prepared by scientists with the National Park Service.

The Visalia Times-Delta newspaper obtained a copy of the report that describes catastrophic destruction from the Castle Fire, which charred 273 square miles of timber in Sequoia National Park.

Researchers used satellite imagery and modeling from previous fires to determine that between 7,500 and 10,000 redwoods perished in the fire. That equates to 10% to 14% of the world’s mature giant sequoia population, the newspaper said.

The newspaper said the extent of the damage to one of the world’s most treasured trees is noteworthy because the sequoias are incredibly well adapted to fire. The old-growth trees, some of which are more than 2,000 years old, require fire to burst their pine cones and reproduce.

The Castle Fire started on Aug. 19 in the Golden Trout Wilderness amid a flurry of lightning strikes. The Shotgun Fire, a much smaller blaze nearby, was discovered shortly afterward, and the two were renamed the Sequoia Complex.

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