Unfavorable Weather Worsens Threat that California Wildfires Pose to Giant Sequoia Trees

On Sunday, hot and dry weather increased to the difficulties faced by California firefighters fighting to keep flames from spreading farther into a historic sequoia forest, where the base of the world's largest tree had been wrapped in protective foil.

On Friday, Hooper said, firefighters, covering the base of the sequoias in foil and brushing leaves and needles from the forest floor surrounding the trees, had to escape. On Saturday, when the weather improved, they returned to finish the job and set up a strategic fire along Generals Highway to defend the Giant Forest grove.

Fire-adapted giant sequoias can help others survive by releasing seeds from their cones and creating clearings where new trees can develop. However, the extreme severity of flames driven by climate change may be too much for the trees to handle.

The KNP Complex's operations section chief, Jon Wallace, explained, "Once you get a fire going within the tree, that will result in death."

Several groves, some as tall as 200 feet and 2,000 years old, have been destroyed by the flames.

To the south, the Windy fire has burnt through the Peyrone grove of sequoias and threatens others on the Tule River Indian Reservation and in Giant Sequoia National Monument.

The fire has also spread to Long Meadow Grove, home to the National Monument Trail of 100 Giant Sequoias. The extent of the damage to the groves, located in isolated locations, was unknown to fire officials.

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