Catastrophic wildfires are destroying the Sequoia population in our National Forests
California鈥檚 Giant Sequoias can live for more than 3,000 years and are among the most fire-resilient tree species. In recent years, catastrophic wildfires have destroyed 19% of the Sequoias population in our National Forests. Climate experts stand firm that poor land management and climate change are driving forces behind severe fires that threaten the survival of giant sequoias and the stability of the climate for future generations of life on Earth.
For the climate of the northern hemisphere, with reference to the dying giant sequoias, success depends on having enough sunlight and moisture to survive and grow. In hotter droughts, unusually high temperatures intensify the effects of low precipitation, resulting in greater water loss from trees and lower water availability to the roots.
Six Fires in Six Years (2015-2021)
Six fires, occurring between 2015 and 2021, killed many large sequoias across the Sierra Nevada. More than 85% of all giant sequoia grove acreage across the Sierra Nevada has burned in wildfires between 2015 and 2021. Compare that against only 25% in the preceding century.
2020 Castle Fire
Lightning started the Castle Fire on Aug. 19, 2020, in a remote area of Sequoia National Forest. By the time the fire was contained in December of 2020, it had already burned 171,000 acres, including over 9,530 acres of giant sequoia groves on U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, State of California, Tulare County, and private lands. This represents one-third of all sequoia groves across the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is the only area in the world where giant sequoias occur naturally.
Lightning fires account for about 20% of burned wildfire acreage across the U.S.
The most effective fire starters are "dry" lightning storms. Dry lightning storms are thunderheads from which little precipitation reaches the ground. These storms also occur more commonly after droughts or dry seasons. Lightning is the leading cause of fire in the Pacific Northwest, with major dry lightning storms occurring several times each decade.