Firefighters have slowly but surely gained ground in the fight to protect Yosemite’s giant sequoias as flames have raced through Mariposa Grove, lapping at the legendary ancient trees.
“I walked the entire Grove where the fire hit the giant sequoias and I didn’t see any trees dead or that weren't going to make it,” said Garrett Dickman, Yosemite National Park forest ecologist, who has visited the Grove every day since the Washburn Fire started last Thursday.
Dickman said swift response from firefighters was critical, but ultimately, preventative measures are what saved the sequoias from the fire.
“I think the single most important effort is we’ve been conducting prescribed burns in Mariposa Grove since the 1970s,” said Dickman. “Fifty years of fire reduction ultimately is what protected the trees.”
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He said prescribed burns, clearing dry brush and thinning the canopies allowed firefighters to enter the Mariposa Grove and mount a successful fight. Instead of worrying about flames burning a hundred feet up a tree, they faced a ground fire.
He added that sequoias are resilient and up until recently, fires have killed very few of the giant trees. But climate change, drought and more intense fires, are taking a toll.
“Within the last two years we lost 20% of all giant sequoias,” said Dickman.
There is a silver lining however. Giant sequoia cones only open during a fire when they can nestle in the ash. Meaning, fire is key to the Grove's long-term survival.
“I expect to see thousands of baby sequoias showing up,” said Dickman.
The ecologist said that in the next 10 years, he believes lessons learned from the Washburn Fire and the effectiveness of prescribed burns and other prevention methods will be applied across California.
