Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Sierra Shocker: Castle Fire Destroyed 10% of World's Giant Sequoias
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
June 3, 2021

Share

At least a tenth of the world’s mature giant sequoia trees 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 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.

“I cannot overemphasize how mind-blowing this is for all of us. These trees have lived for thousands of years,” — Christy Brigham, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

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

“I cannot overemphasize how mind-blowing this is for all of us. These trees have lived for thousands of years. They’ve survived dozens of wildfires already,” said Christy Brigham, chief of resources management and science at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Consequences for Decades

The consequences of losing large numbers of giant sequoias could be felt for decades, forest managers said. Redwood and sequoia 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.

In this April 22, 2021, file photo, provided by the National Park Service, shows a smoldering tree in Sequoia National Park. The giant sequoia was found smoldering and smoking in an area of the park burned by the 2020 Castle Fire. At least a tenth of the world’s mature giant sequoias were destroyed by a single wildfire that tore through the southern Sierra Nevada last year, according to a draft report prepared by scientists with the National Park Service. (Tony Caprio/National Park Service via AP)

“I have a vain hope that once we get out on the ground the situation won’t be as bad, but that’s hope — that’s not science,” she said.

The newspaper said the extent of the damage to one of the world’s most treasured trees is noteworthy because the sequoias themselves are incredibly well adapted to fire. The old-growth trees — some of which are more than 2,000 years old and 250 feet (76 meters) tall — require fire to burst their pine cones and reproduce.

“One-hundred years of fire suppression, combined with climate change-driven hotter droughts, have changed how fires burn in the southern Sierra and that change has been very bad for sequoia,” Brigham said.

Significantly More Controlled Burns Needed

Sequoia and Kings Canyon have conducted controlled burns since the 1960s, about a thousand acres a year on average. Brigham estimates that the park will need to burn around 30 times that number to get the forest back to a healthy state.

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

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

DON'T MISS

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

DON'T MISS

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

DON'T MISS

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

DON'T MISS

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

DON'T MISS

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

DON'T MISS

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

DON'T MISS

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

DON'T MISS

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

DON'T MISS

US Tariffs Could Put Air Safety at Risk, Aerospace and Airline Industries Warn

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Parolee After Officer-Involved Shooting, Standoff

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified’s Misty Her Says She Was Assaulted. Police Have No Reports

UP NEXT

Fresno County Active Wildfire Grows to 45 Acres

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: James William Johnson

UP NEXT

Fresno County Crews Battle Active Wildfire in Yokuts Valley, Evacuation Warning Issued

UP NEXT

Not Quite ‘Hunger Games,’ but Fresno Budget Hearings Start

UP NEXT

Clovis CPA Sentenced to Prison for $800K Bank Fraud Scheme

UP NEXT

His Gang Name Is ‘Goer.’ Now Fresno County Man Is Going to Prison for 20 Years

UP NEXT

Missing Woman Found Dead in Fresno County Canal Identified

UP NEXT

Co-Conspirator Sentenced in Fraud Involving Loans to Bitwise

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

13 hours ago

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

14 hours ago

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

14 hours ago

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

14 hours ago

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

14 hours ago

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

15 hours ago

US Tariffs Could Put Air Safety at Risk, Aerospace and Airline Industries Warn

15 hours ago

Trump to Sign Order Doubling Metals Tariffs, White House Says

15 hours ago

California Inmate Gets Five Years for Role in Drone Drug Smuggling Scheme

16 hours ago

Millions Invested in Land for Innovation Village. Will It Be a Fresno Game-Changer?

16 hours ago

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

Barring any last-minute about-faces by Clovis Unified officials, eight high school seniors won’t be joining their classmates at their ...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

11 hours ago

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

11 hours ago

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart next to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick as Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
13 hours ago

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

14 hours ago

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

14 hours ago

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

14 hours ago

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

14 hours ago

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend