Redwoods survive wildfire at California’s oldest state park
4 years, 4 months ago

Redwoods survive wildfire at California’s oldest state park

Associated Press  

BOULDER CREEK, Calif. — When a massive wildfire swept through California’s oldest state park last week it was feared many trees in a grove of old-growth redwoods, some of them 2,000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth, may finally have succumbed. But an Associated Press reporter and photographer hiked the renowned Redwood Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Monday and confirmed most of the ancient redwoods had withstood the blaze. Redwood forests are meant to burn, she said, so reports earlier this week that the state park was “gone” were misleading. They’ve been through multiple fires, possibly worse than this.” When forest fires, windstorms and lightning hit redwood trees, those that don’t topple can resprout.

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History of this topic

Charred by fire, these grand California redwoods rise again. How to hike among them
1 week, 6 days ago

Charred by fire, these grand California redwoods rise again. How to hike among them

LA Times  

• Big Basin Redwoods State Park, near Santa Cruz, is recovering after fire scorched almost the entire park in 2020. The route in question is the Redwood Loop Trail, part of Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. “You’ll see shoots of green coming off these black trunks throughout the park,” said Will Fourt, senior park and …

Commentary: Southern California forests are burning. Protect them from their biggest threat — people
3 months ago

Commentary: Southern California forests are burning. Protect them from their biggest threat — people

LA Times  

The author’s family loves this spot, at Inspiration Point near Wrightwood, looking out on the Sheep Mountain Wilderness. So here’s what the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and California State Parks ought to do when conditions are predictably ripe for cataclysmic fire: Close their forests. When a major heat wave bears down on us — as one did …

Firefighters significantly tame California’s fourth-largest wildfire on record
4 months ago

Firefighters significantly tame California’s fourth-largest wildfire on record

Associated Press  

CHICO, Calif. — California’s largest wildfire this year has been significantly tamed as the state’s initially fierce fire season has, at least temporarily, fallen into a relative calm. The Park Fire was 53% contained Monday after scorching nearly 671 square miles in several northern counties, destroying 637 structures and damaging 49 as it became the state’s fourth-largest wildfire on record. …

Fast-moving Southern California wildfire torches hillside homes, forcing evacuations
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Fast-moving Southern California wildfire torches hillside homes, forcing evacuations

Associated Press  

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A fast-moving wildfire that swept into a Southern California hillside community this week destroyed five homes and damaged three others, authorities said Tuesday. The flames erupted Monday afternoon and chased residents from the neighborhood in San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, One firefighter was treated for a minor injury but there were no …

Firefighters worry heat, thunderstorms could fuel the already massive Park fire
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Firefighters worry heat, thunderstorms could fuel the already massive Park fire

LA Times  

Firefighters douse hot spots from the Park fire along California Highway 36 near Dales on Monday. Firefighters battling to contain the raging Park fire in Northern California got a brief respite Friday morning thanks to low clouds and slightly lower temperatures that could help slow the spread of the fourth-largest wildfire in state history. By Friday morning, the Park fire …

California's 'Monster' Park Fire Is Now One Of The State's Largest On Record
4 months, 3 weeks ago

California's 'Monster' Park Fire Is Now One Of The State's Largest On Record

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING California’s fast-growing Park Fire is now the fifth largest wildfire in the state’s history, having burned more than 598 square miles — a little more than the size of Los Angeles — in less than a week. David McNew via Getty Images A local man accused of setting the Park Fire last Wednesday by pushing a burning …

WATCH: Thousands Evacuated As California's Park Fire Expands To Over 370,000 Acres
4 months, 3 weeks ago

WATCH: Thousands Evacuated As California's Park Fire Expands To Over 370,000 Acres

News 18  

Dozens of firefighters were dispatched to the US state of California Monday to battle the state’s largest blaze of the year, which has prompted thousands of evacuations and already burned an area larger than the city of Los Angeles. For more information on active statewide incidents, visit https://t.co/CfcEwIPpfd pic.twitter.com/cbAc2Y8AX0— CAL FIRE July 29, 2024 CALIFORNIA WILDFIRESBREAKING – California Battles One …

Northern California’s Park fire expands with no end or relief in sight
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Northern California’s Park fire expands with no end or relief in sight

LA Times  

Seen in a long-exposure photograph, the Park fire burns along Highway 32 in the Forest Ranch community of Butte County, Calif., on Thursday. And here’s today’s e-newspaper California’s largest fire roars with no relief in sight A hillside burns as the Park Fire tears though the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., on Thursday, July 25, 2024. Path of destruction …

Park Fire in California scorches through land the size of Los Angeles
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Park Fire in California scorches through land the size of Los Angeles

Associated Press  

FOREST RANCH, Calif. — Thousands of firefighters battling a wildfire in Northern California received some help from the weather Saturday hours after it exploded in size, scorching an area greater than the size of Los Angeles. The Park Fire has scorched 547 square miles as of Saturday and destroyed 134 structures since igniting Wednesday when authorities said a man pushed …

The ‘extraordinary’ growth of California’s largest fire raises alarms. It could burn for months
4 months, 4 weeks ago

The ‘extraordinary’ growth of California’s largest fire raises alarms. It could burn for months

LA Times  

A hillside burns as the Park fire tears though the community of Cohasset in Butte County, Calif., on Thursday, July 25, 2024. For more information on the Park Fire visit: https://t.co/f2Jx3YA3kh pic.twitter.com/RiWlxhTLan — CAL FIRE Chief July 26, 2024 The Park fire’s thunderstorm characteristics haven’t yet sparked lightning — though Carpenter said that’s still possible given its “explosive fire growth” …

Park Fire in California could continue growing exponentially, Cal Fire officer says
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Park Fire in California could continue growing exponentially, Cal Fire officer says

NPR  

Park Fire in California could continue growing exponentially, Cal Fire officer says Cal Fire has confirmed that over a hundred structures have been damaged in the Park Fire, which grew overnight near Chico, Calif. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: The Park Fire in Northern California has more than tripled in size since yesterday morning. ROMERO: Arson investigators arrested a man they believe …

Crews turn a corner with California’s largest wildfire as massive heat wave brings new danger
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Crews turn a corner with California’s largest wildfire as massive heat wave brings new danger

LA Times  

Embers glow as the Basin fire burns recently in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County. California firefighters battling a blaze that has ripped through more than 13,000 acres of the Sierra National Forest just north of the Giant Sequoia National Monument and close to several hydroelectric facilities finally began to gain control Monday afternoon. As a result of the …

California tribe that lost 90% of land during Gold Rush to get site to serve as gateway to redwoods
9 months ago

California tribe that lost 90% of land during Gold Rush to get site to serve as gateway to redwoods

Associated Press  

California’s Yurok Tribe, which had 90% of its territory taken from it during the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, will be getting a slice of its land back to serve as a new gateway to Redwood National and State Parks visited by 1 million people a year. The Yurok will be the first Native people to manage tribal land with …

How two scorched giant sequoias kicked off a controversy about controlled burns in California
1 year, 1 month ago

How two scorched giant sequoias kicked off a controversy about controlled burns in California

LA Times  

Two beloved giant sequoias scorched in a prescribed burn at Calaveras Big Trees State Park last year now appear likely to recover. “It literally is a carpet of green underneath and they’re all little babies.” Calaveras Big Trees is a haven for local residents, who describe a spiritual connection to the park’s cathedral-like sequoia groves. “I still feel that had …

Opinion: We’ve got it all wrong about sequoias and wildfire
1 year, 5 months ago

Opinion: We’ve got it all wrong about sequoias and wildfire

LA Times  

As my colleagues and I hiked through the Nelder giant sequoia grove south of Yosemite National Park recently, we could barely believe our eyes. The U.S. Forest Service, which manages the Nelder Grove and many other sequoia groves, has repeatedly told the public, the media and Congress that giant sequoias are adapted to mild and moderate surface fires. As it …

Photos: Destructive fire rages near California’s Yosemite Park
2 years, 5 months ago

Photos: Destructive fire rages near California’s Yosemite Park

Al Jazeera  

A wildfire burning out of control through tinder-dry forests near California’s Yosemite National Park has forced thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities. Aided by aircraft and bulldozers, they faced tough conditions, including steep terrain, sweltering temperatures and low humidity, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Evacuations were in place for more …

Yosemite wildfire threatens grove of iconic sequoia trees
2 years, 5 months ago

Yosemite wildfire threatens grove of iconic sequoia trees

Associated Press  

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — The largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park remained closed Saturday as firefighters battled a blaze that threatened the gathering of the iconic trees and forced hundreds of campers to evacuate. The fire was proving difficult to contain, with firefighters throwing “every tactic imaginable” at it, said Nancy Phillipe, a Yosemite fire information …

Firefighters race to defend ancient sequoias from 2,700-acre Washburn fire in Yosemite
2 years, 5 months ago

Firefighters race to defend ancient sequoias from 2,700-acre Washburn fire in Yosemite

LA Times  

Firefighters waged an all-out battle Monday as the 2,720-acre Washburn fire burned at the edges of Yosemite National Park‘s largest grove of ancient sequoia trees. “It has backed a little ways into that, but it hasn’t backed intensely into the grove,” Ahearn said during a Monday night community meeting about the fire. “We have people going in there, cleaning around …

Yosemite fire explodes, threatens iconic giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove, Wawona
2 years, 5 months ago

Yosemite fire explodes, threatens iconic giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove, Wawona

LA Times  

In this image provided by the National Park Service, a firefighter walks near the Mariposa Grove as the Washburn fire burns in Yosemite National Park. “Because of that combination, we are having these fires that are large and intense and last longer than what anybody’s seen in any part of their experience,” said Nancy Phillipe, a Yosemite fire information spokesperson. …

A wildfire threatens giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park
2 years, 5 months ago

A wildfire threatens giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park

NPR  

A wildfire threatens giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park Enlarge this image toggle caption Noah Berger/AP Noah Berger/AP YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — The largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park remained closed Saturday, a day after hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire burning through dense forest became the latest to threaten the …

Wildfire nears famous site in California’s Yosemite National Park
2 years, 5 months ago

Wildfire nears famous site in California’s Yosemite National Park

Al Jazeera  

Officials say none of Yosemite’s famous giant sequoias has been damaged by the blaze, but part of the park was closed. A portion of Yosemite National Park in the US state of California has been closed, officials said, as a wildfire is inching closer to a grove of famous giant sequoia trees. Authorities blocked access to the park’s largest stand …

Giant Forest to reopen months after fires threatened sequoias
3 years ago

Giant Forest to reopen months after fires threatened sequoias

LA Times  

The General Sherman tree stands in the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park after officials removed its fire-protective covering on Oct. 22. Three months after wildfire flames ripped through California’s ancient sequoia groves, officials at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have announced the Giant Forest will reopen to the public. Visitors will be able to access limited areas …

Editorial: California lost thousands of giant sequoias. It’s tragic, but at least we are aware
3 years ago

Editorial: California lost thousands of giant sequoias. It’s tragic, but at least we are aware

LA Times  

Pretty much anyone who has had the privilege of standing next to one of the biggest, oldest giant sequoia trees understands the rush of awe. But as the public tracked the fight against the KNP Complex fire in September, which threatened giant sequoias to the point where their lower parts had to be tucked under fire-resistant foil blankets, it might …

‘There is nothing alive on that tree’: Inside a giant sequoia grove scorched by the KNP Complex fire
3 years ago

‘There is nothing alive on that tree’: Inside a giant sequoia grove scorched by the KNP Complex fire

LA Times  

It looked like a bomb had gone off in the vast stand of giant sequoias on a mountain ridge in the southern Sierra. “That is one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to look at in my entire 30-year career with the Forest Service.” The Redwood Mountain Grove at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks was devastated by …

Wildfires torched up to a fifth of all giant sequoia trees
3 years, 1 month ago

Wildfires torched up to a fifth of all giant sequoia trees

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Lightning-sparked wildfires killed thousands of giant sequoias this year, leading to a staggering two-year death toll that accounts for up to nearly a fifth of Earth’s largest trees, officials said Friday. Blazes so intense to burn hot enough and high enough to kill so many giant sequoias — trees once considered nearly fire-proof — puts an exclamation …

Thousands of giant sequoias killed in California wildfires
3 years, 1 month ago

Thousands of giant sequoias killed in California wildfires

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Lightning-sparked wildfires killed thousands of …

Wildfires killed thousands of sequoias in southern Sierra Nevada
3 years, 1 month ago

Wildfires killed thousands of sequoias in southern Sierra Nevada

LA Times  

Nathan Stephenson, scientist emeritus at the Western Ecological Research Center, speaks Friday about the loss of giant sequoias in the Redwood Mountain Grove in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. As many as 3,600 giant sequoias perished in the flames of the twin wildfires that ignited during a lightning storm in early September and rampaged through 27 groves of the …

After California wildfire, thousands of trees to be removed
3 years, 2 months ago

After California wildfire, thousands of trees to be removed

India TV News  

In the wake of California wildfires, upwards of 10,000 trees weakened by fires, drought, disease or age must be removed, work that will keep a nearby highway closed to visitors who seek the world’s two largest sequoia trees. The hazard trees could potentially fall onto people and cars on the section of State Route 180 known as Generals Highway, or …

KNP Complex fire triggers flurry of new evacuations, as flames threaten more giant sequoia trees
3 years, 2 months ago

KNP Complex fire triggers flurry of new evacuations, as flames threaten more giant sequoia trees

LA Times  

National Park Service public information officers inspect the ground around giant sequoias during a tour of the KNP Complex fire burn area Sept. 30 in Sequoia National Park. The 51,000-acre KNP Complex fire tearing through the Sequoia National Park triggered a flurry of evacuations Friday morning, as flames — spurred by a drying trend — threatened communities and burned toward …

Raging California wildfires threaten ancient sequoia forest
3 years, 3 months ago

Raging California wildfires threaten ancient sequoia forest

Al Jazeera  

The extraordinary intensity of the California wildfires could overwhelm the sequoia trees, some thousands of years old. The colossal “General Sherman” tree in Sequoia National Park, the Giant Forest Museum and other buildings were wrapped for protection against the possibility of intense flames, fire spokeswoman Rebecca Paterson said. The Colony Fire, one of two burning in Sequoia National Park, was …

A Single Fire Killed Thousands Of Sequoias. Scientists Are Racing To Save The Rest
3 years, 3 months ago

A Single Fire Killed Thousands Of Sequoias. Scientists Are Racing To Save The Rest

NPR  

A Single Fire Killed Thousands Of Sequoias. Scientists Are Racing To Save The Rest toggle caption Lauren Sommer/NPR On a hot afternoon in California's Sequoia National Park, Alexis Bernal squints up at the top of a 200-foot-tall tree. toggle caption Lauren Sommer/NPR Sequoias need fire, but fires are changing Giant sequoias only grow in isolated pockets, tucked in the mountains …

Sequoia National Park's Giant Trees At Risk As Wildfires Grow
3 years, 3 months ago

Sequoia National Park's Giant Trees At Risk As Wildfires Grow

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Fire crews moved to ramp up the battle Wednesday against two expanding forest fires threatening Sequoia National Park’s giant sequoia trees and infrastructure. The Colony Fire was a threat to Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 sequoias, but not imminently, said Mark Ruggiero, fire information officer for Sequoia and Kings Canyon …

World’s largest trees under siege from California wildfire as sequoias face new perils
3 years, 3 months ago

World’s largest trees under siege from California wildfire as sequoias face new perils

LA Times  

Deep inside the heart of Sequoia National Park lies a cathedral-like grove that is home to thousands of towering sequoia trees. “In a climatological sense, we are in uncharted territory,” said Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at UC Merced who has been tracking the KNP Complex’s march toward the critically dry forest. “It’s just really not the type of conditions …

Giant Forest trees prepped for flames in Sequoia National Park as KNP Complex fire closes in
3 years, 3 months ago

Giant Forest trees prepped for flames in Sequoia National Park as KNP Complex fire closes in

LA Times  

Flames burn through brush near the entrance to Sequoia National Park near Three Rivers as the KNP Complex fire threatens the area. As the growing KNP Complex fire continues its march through Sequoia National Park, fire crews on Thursday were prepping the famed Giant Forest for flames by wrapping some of the massive sequoias in fire-resistant aluminum material. The grove …

Fires shut Sequoia National Park, could threaten huge trees
3 years, 3 months ago

Fires shut Sequoia National Park, could threaten huge trees

Associated Press  

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Sequoia National Park is shut down, its namesake gigantic trees potentially threatened by two forest fires burning in steep and dangerous terrain in California’s Sierra Nevada. “There’s no imminent threat to Giant Forest but that is a potential,” Mark Ruggiero, fire information officer for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, said Tuesday. “It’s important to …

Wildfires rage in Sequoia National park and forest, sending flames into grove of giant trees
3 years, 3 months ago

Wildfires rage in Sequoia National park and forest, sending flames into grove of giant trees

LA Times  

A pair of lightning-sparked fires that took hold in rugged terrain in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks exploded over the weekend, while another blaze to the south burned into a grove of giant sequoia trees, sending smoke billowing above popular tourist destinations and forcing closures in the area. Flames were in the perimeter of the towering trees — …

As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California faces unprecedented loss
3 years, 6 months ago

As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California faces unprecedented loss

LA Times  

A sunset is obscured by smoke-filled skies near Alder Creek Grove, where sequoia trees had grown on this Sierra Nevada ridge top for well over 500 years. “They’re one of the most fire-adapted species on Earth, and that is one way that this really is a warning sign much bigger than the trees themselves,” Brigham said. “Then things started to …

Resilient redwood forest a beacon of hope for California
3 years, 8 months ago

Resilient redwood forest a beacon of hope for California

Associated Press  

BIG BASIN REDWOODS STATE PARK, Calif. — Eight months after a lightning siege ignited more than 650 wildfires in Northern California, the state’s oldest park — which was almost entirely ablaze — is doing what nature does best: recovering. Big Basin Redwoods State Park is closed, but during a backcountry guided tour earlier this week, clusters of chartreuse shoots were …

AP PHOTOS: Wildfires race through dry, windy California
4 years, 3 months ago

AP PHOTOS: Wildfires race through dry, windy California

Associated Press  

Over the last month, California wildfires have chased thousands of families from their homes, destroyed more than 3,600 buildings, blackened huge expanses of land and killed 12 people. In all, more than two dozen major fires are burning around the state, some of them among the largest in recent California history. Feeding off strong winds and dry brush, the fast-growing …

California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever
4 years, 3 months ago

California wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — When it comes to California wildfires, it now takes days, not decades, to produce what had been seen as a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Hotter temperatures, longer fire seasons and an estimated 140 million dead trees from a five-year drought mean that “fires in California are moving faster and growing larger,” said University of Utah fire expert Philip Dennison. …

Lightning Sparked Firestorms Displace Thousands of Californians, Six Casualties Till Now
4 years, 4 months ago

Lightning Sparked Firestorms Displace Thousands of Californians, Six Casualties Till Now

News 18  

Tens of thousands of displaced Californians huddled under mass evacuation orders in the midst of a heat wave and a pandemic on Friday as lightning-sparked firestorms raged across tinder-dry landscapes in and around the greater San Francisco Bay area. An estimated 11,000 lightning strikes, mostly in northern and central California, ignited more than 370 individual fires this week, spawning nearly …

Wildfire damages much of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Fate of big trees unknown
4 years, 4 months ago

Wildfire damages much of Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Fate of big trees unknown

LA Times  

A raging wildfire has inflicted serious damage on Big Basin Redwoods State Park northeast of Santa Cruz, prompting a conservation group on Thursday to openly mourn the loss of California’s oldest state park. Originally called California Redwood Park, Big Basin was created in 1902 amid a statewide movement to protect California’s ancient redwoods, a campaign that included the Sempervirens Fund. …

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