Second year of fires taking toll on sequoias

Following a year when authorities said wildfires burned down an unprecedented amount of sequoias, infernos blazing through two national parks are once again threatening the giant trees, underscoring how the increasing intensity of wildfires, drought and the effects of climate change endanger the survival of the species.

Having scorched almost 86,000 acres since it was caused by lightning on Sept. 9, the KNP Complex Fire — formed by the Colony and the Paradise Fires — is tearing through the northwestern sector of California’s Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada, the only region where these trees dwell. The complex is just 11% contained.

With the flames still torching through the sequoias’ land, authorities say it remains too early to determine the scope of the damages. The mix of the infernos’ fast-changing behavior and the lack of access to certain areas in the park has led authorities to prioritize the protection of certain sequoias.

Since igniting, the inferno has encroached over at least 15 groves, said Christy Brigham, chief of resources management and science for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Two of them — Redwood Mountain and Castle Creek — have been subjected to high-severity fire that can crawl over the trees’ canopies and “has the potential to incinerate and torch these very large old trees,” she said.

The extent of the damage to those groves remains unknown.

To the south of this blaze, the Windy Fire has scorched through almost 98,000 acres in Tule River Indian Reservation since it was also sparked by lighting on Sept. 9.

Like the KNP Complex Fire raging to its north, the Windy Fire has resulted in the loss of dozens of sequoias. Despite the inferno being 80% contained, its flames are still burning through 11 groves, said Garrett Dickman, a National Park Service botanist in Yosemite National Park.

The impacts of the fire are mixed. While some groves fared well, others were subjected to high-intensity fires that could result in the sequoias’ deaths.

The combination of the fire’s danger with the often hard-to-reach terrain where the trees grow, renders making an assessment difficult.

Compared to last year’s blaze, the Windy Fire has burned through half as many clusters of trees. The sequoias in these groves, Dickman said, are smaller too. This year, the inferno could exceed the Castle Fire’s mortality rate.

Since the two wildfires began, firefighter have taken extraordinary measures to protect the sequoias — even assembling a specialized task force of over 50 National Park Service personnel and firefighters to safeguard the ancient trees.

Popular trees, deemed “monarchs” for their impressive height, were wrapped in protective aluminum covers. Firefighters also conducted burnout operations — methodically guiding the fire through the grove, removing patches of vegetation and creating containment areas.

Sprinkler systems were installed to cool the tree’s roots. Some personnel even climbed to the sequoias’ tops to extinguish the flames.

The undertaking has yielded to some success, with iconic trees like the General Sherman — the largest in the world by volume — General Grant and the Four Guardsmen all surviving the flames.

Still, the loss of even one tree — even if it is unnamed and less-known — is “utterly heartbreaking,” said Savannah Boiano, executive director of the park’s nonprofit partner, the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.

With the KNP Complex Fire underway, the nonprofit is collecting funds for tree recovery and restoring access to the park.

With their old age and distinctive looks, the emblematic nature of the General Sherman and other named trees grants them an “additional layer of protection” even if their area is at a low risk of high-severity fire.

With their thick bark, sequoias are naturally built to resist fires. They also need their heat to burn competing plants and dry out the cones until they are able to release their seeds. In fact, fire seasons are frequently followed by a larger number of seedlings, Dickman said.

But even if sequoias need blazes to survive and reproduce, problems arise when large, uncontrolled fires reach the sequoias’ canopies, which makes it harder for the trees to recover and keep growing. The alarming frequency of infernos that are larger, hotter and faster is imperiling the species — especially when it is compounded by a drought.