I am obsessed with trees. I am SO obsessed with trees that I will seek them out wherever I go.
In my latest adventure, I went on a trip to Sequoia National Park, where I saw the largest tree by volume in the world, the General Sherman Tree. Truly impressive and truly an amazing experience.
Unfortunately, not everything was all rainbows and sunshine. During the trip, I attended three ranger talks about various topics (riparian ecosystems, mycorrhizal fungi, and of course, sequoia trees). During every one of these talks, the rangers emphasized the seriousness of climate change. Every single one of them talked about the stark reality of the wildfires and the impact on the sequoias of the forest.
Before I go into it, let me first tell you a little about sequoia trees. When entering the park, the first things I noticed about the sequoias were the large size and the red-brown color of the bark. There is no way to mistake these trees because man, they are spectacular.
“Large” doesn’t accurately convey the size of these trees. They are so grandiose that even the fallen over trees were still taller than me. Their trunks are so immense that even despite fires burning through the center of some trees, they still stood proud. Several trees were burned all the way through, burned through so much that I could walk through them), yet these giants still stood alive and strong.
How are they still alive?
If you’re wondering, dear reader, how a tree burned all the way through could still be alive, then I have some things to share with you. These resilient trees can live for thousands of years. The average sequoia ages about 2,000 years old, with the oldest at an age about 3,500 years.
The thing about sequoias and fire is that sequoias actually need fire to survive. Sequoia cones are covered in a sap that prevents the seeds from releasing. When a fire sweeps by, the sap melts off, allowing the cones to release the seeds.
In addition, sequoias are pioneer tree species, meaning they are the first ones to grow in a disturbed environment (such as one cleared by a forest fire). They need fires to clear out dense tree groves and let light in from the canopy. The burnt matter becomes a rich fertilizer that supports the growth of new sequoia seedlings.
Fires are normal and necessary to sequoias, but they were suppressed from the late 1800s through the late 1900s. This suppression led to an accumulation of flammable fuel sources on the ground and the near halt of new sequoia seedlings. This twofold problem leads to a forest unable to replace itself and experiences infrequent but intense fires that kill everything.
Frequent and less sever fires are what the sequoias needed, which is why the National Park Service has begun to incorporate prescribed fires in their sequoia management.
Fires are important to sequoia ecosystems, but fires that are too intense with too high a temperature will destroy the habitat for sequoias. The rangers I met said that 1 sequoia dying is normal, but recent years have seen an increase in sequoia deaths.
Recent Sequoia Deaths from Fires
Starting in 2015, the Sierra Nevada has experienced four, severe wildfires. The severity of these fires were exacerbated by climate change. I said before that it’s normal for 1 sequoia to die from a fire, right? The 2015 fire killed 27 large sequoia trees in Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park.. “Large” sequoia trees are defined as being 4 feet or greater in diameter (about 200 to 500 years old) If we’re counting the trees smaller than 4 feet in diameter, then it’s likely that many more have died.
Then, the two 2017 fires saw 110 large sequoias in Black Mountain Grove and the Nelder Grove in Sierra National Forest. 31 of the Black Mountain Grove were more than 10 feet in diameter (around 1000 years old). Let me say that again - Ten. Feet. In. Diameter. 1000. Years. Old. It doesn’t get better.
You may or may not have heard of the 2020 Castle Fire. Started by a lightning strike, this fire lasted from August through December. It killed between 7,500 to 10,600 large sequoias (remember the 4 feet diameter and 200 to 500 years of age?).
This is a summary of the past 6 years:
2015 - 27 dead
2017 - 110 dead
2021 - 7,500 to 10,600 dead
I’m not sure about you, but when I heard that last one, it hurt my soul. That many dead sequoias. 7,000 dead is another way to say 10 to 14 percent of all large sequoias in the Sierra Nevada died. That’s 1 out of every 7 or 10 trees in the entire Sierra Nevada. All from one fire. A fire exacerbated both by climate change and over 100 years of fuel buildup.
I could continue with the other threats to the giant sequoias, but the National Park Service already covers them here. I’m not going on for two reasons: 1. It would be way too long and 2. I want to end on an action-oriented note.
What can we do?
If everything I’ve written above has you caught in a state of horror and helplessness, I just want to say that there are things you can do.
Pass on the stories you hear. I got this from one of the rangers at the park. If you live near Sequoia National Park, share the struggles of the sequoia trees. Not only that, share what you learned about them. Share how necessary fires are for sequoias (as long as they’re not too intense). Stories give meaning to facts and figures. They make us feel something and compel us to action.
Learn and get involved. Do you have a local park that you connect with? Learn about its history and the threats it faces. If you’re able to, get involved and volunteer. Parks at all levels (local, state, and national) are in need of volunteers. You will join a community of people who care, and you’ll be able to do good work. You’ll learn more about what makes that park special, and you’ll learn where it is struggling.
Get in touch. If you are a U.S. citizen, as an individual, you have the most power at the local and state government level, and these levels are where the real impact happens. Email your local government officials, your congressmen. Let them know about the parks that have meaning to you, and what you expect them to do about it.
Sequoia National Park isn’t the only natural area that is struggling. It is one of many across the entire world, and that’s why it is so important that we each do what we can. If you can, I do encourage a visit to Sequoia National and Kings Canyon National Parks. These trees are awe-inspiring and incredibly fascinating. Walk along the Big Tree Trails and and learn about the wonders of these giants.
Sources
The General Sherman Tree. N.d. National Park Service. <https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/sherman.htm>. Accessed September 10, 2021.
Giant Sequoias and Fire. n.d. National Park Service. <https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/giant-sequoias-and-fire.htm>. Accessed September 10, 2021.
Wildfires Kill Many Large Sequoia Trees. N.d. National Park Service. <https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/wildfires-kill-many-large-sequoia-trees.htm>. Accessed September 10, 2021.
Giant Sequoias Face New Threats. N.d. National Park Service. <https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/giant-sequoias-face-new-threats.htm>. Accessed September 10, 2021.
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