Research

Giant Sequoia Fire & Water Project

Born of fire and sustained by water, the world’s largest trees, the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), are restricted to wet pockets on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Growing sometimes for more than 3,000 years, these iconic trees are resilient and resourceful, full of survival strategies that enable them to endure fire, drought, lightning, and fierce winter storms.

In an era of rapid climate change, these seemingly indestructible giants are facing new and emerging threats. Fire, while essential for regeneration and the health of giant sequoia forests, is becoming more severe and destructive. Droughts are becoming more common and hotter. The snowpack that typically melts in the spring and into summer, slowly supplying water to these water thirsty giants, is declining and melting earlier. Western cedar bark beetles, native to the forest, contributed recently to the death of severely burned, drought stricken giant sequoias. Counterintuitively, the trees that died were growing in wet locations.

The Ancient Forest Society is working in partnership with Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks, US Geological Survey, Sequoia Parks Conservancy, Northern Arizona University, Colorado State University and others to better understand the important dynamics between fire and water in giant sequoia trees. Prescribed fire is an essential management tool used actively in both parks, but if fire is too severe, it can weaken trees and make them susceptible to drought and beetle attack. Managers would like to know which trees are more vulnerable so they can focus on reducing fire impacts to those trees.