giant sequoias

Giant sequoias are the most massive trees on earth. They can grow as tall as nearly 300 feet and have trunk diameters from 20 to 26 feet. They are also among the oldest living organisms on Earth; some of them are well over 3,000 years old. The trees are native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.

Lengthy droughts and wildfires have been pushing giant sequoias in California into decline. Up to 20% of all large giant sequoias in California died in wildfires in 2020 and 2021. There are estimated to be only about 80,000 remaining in the native groves in the Sierra Nevada. These old-growth forests are very much in jeopardy and represent rare ecosystems of considerable ecological and historical value.

Giant sequoias have been planted in many places around the world. They were introduced to country estates in Britain during the 19th century. They were seen as symbols of wealth and power. Over time, they have been widely planted in parks and woodlands. As a result, there are now half a million giant sequoias growing in Britain and they are thriving there.

The British sequoias are rather young by sequoia standards, so they are relatively squat in stature. The tallest of them measures about 180 feet. But recent research, published in the journal Royal Society Science, found that in Britain’s cool and mild climate, the trees are growing nearly as fast as they do in California.

The British sequoias are probably more important for their aesthetic and historical interest than their impact on the environment, but it is good to know they are there.

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Under Threat in Their Native California, Giant Sequoias Are Thriving in Britain

Photo, posted November 4, 2010, courtesy of John Buie via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Last year, the KNP Complex Fire burning in Sequoia National Park drew global attention as the General Sherman, the world’s largest tree, was wrapped in tinfoil-like material in order to repel the flames from the fire. Hundreds of firefighters labored for weeks trying to save giant redwood trees. Despite these efforts, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that wildfires killed 13% to 19% of the world’s giant sequoias in 2020 and 2021.

This past July, the Washburn Fire burned through part of Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove and the giant sequoias there were surrounded by automated sprinklers trying to shelter them from the flames.

For a century, government agencies have worked to extinguish all natural wildfires and prohibited Native people in the region from lighting the fires they traditionally used to manage their lands. As a result, forests have grown far thicker with trees that can fuel fires. The Sierras are now home to more than three times as many trees as when they were managed by indigenous communities. But more than 100 million of those trees had died by 2016 because of drought.

Add to this massive amount of kindling the effects of climate change – a hotter and drier environment – and there is the perfect storm for megafires among the giant sequoias.

There is federal legislation pending that would provide resources for prescribed burning and other forms of active forest management. It is controversial. It has attracted support from the Nature Conservancy, the Save The Redwoods League, and others, but also opposition from more than 80 environmental groups.

What is not controversial is that the Giant Sequoias are in the midst of a crisis and urgent action is needed.

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In California, a Race to Save the World’s Largest Trees From Megafires

Photo, posted December 10, 2014, courtesy of Laura Camp via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Sequoias in Britain

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Saving Giant Sequoias | Earth Wise

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