Up to 19% of the world's 'irreplaceable' giant sequoias lost to fire in about a year, study finds
2021 was another disastrous year for California's giant sequoias, as wildfires killed thousands of the iconic trees, federal officials announced in a report released Friday.
Between 2,200 and 3,600 adult sequoias were either killed by the KNP Complex and Windy Fires or are expected to die within the next five years – amounting to 3% to 5% of the Earth's sequoia trees, according to National Park Service estimates. Scientists used satellite imagery, overhead flights, and on-the-ground surveys to arrive at the figure.
The destruction comes on the heels of last year's Castle Fire, which torched between 10% to 14% of the world's sequoias – some 10,000 trees – in the same region of the southern Sierra.
In the worst-case scenario, that means wildfires have killed 19% – nearly a fifth – of the world's sequoia trees in just over a year.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/up-to-19-of-the-world-s-irreplaceable-giant-sequoias-lost-to-fire-in-about-a-year-study-finds/ar-AAQUSWf