sequoia tree

Gabi Huerta, with the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, replants trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Environment

Wildfires are killing California's ancient giants. Can seedlings save the species?

5:00am February 26, 2024

Extreme wildfires have destroyed about one-fifth of all giant sequoia trees. To safeguard their future, the National Park Service is planting seedlings that could better survive a hotter climate.

A helicopter drops water on the Washburn Fire burning in Yosemite National Park on Saturday.

National

Wildfire near Yosemite National Park threatens its largest grove of sequoia trees

5:48pm July 11, 2022

by Wynne Davis

Firefighters are proactively working to protect the giant trees by deploying a ground sprinkler system and clearing any materials that could fuel the fire.

The 2020 Castle Fire burned the Alder Creek sequoia grove with extreme intensity, killing many of the 1,000-year-old trees there. Without any green foliage, the trees can't survive or resprout.

Environment

A Single Fire Killed Thousands Of Sequoias. Scientists Are Racing To Save The Rest

9:45pm September 17, 2021

by Lauren Sommer

The world's largest trees are adapted to wildfires. But with fires getting more extreme, scientists warn that giant sequoias are running out of time.

A fire truck is positioned outside Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park, Mont., on Sunday as firefighters prepare for a blaze that is threatening the century-old Swiss chalet-style hotel.

Western Wildfires Endanger Beloved Sites At National Parks

2:12pm September 05, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

A 20-square-mile blaze burned the historic Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park last week. In California's Sierra National Forest, an ancient grove of sequoias was scorched, but the trees survived.

An aerial view of the sequoia in Boise, Idaho, as workers prepared to transport it about two blocks. Heavy machinery had to be used to prune its roots and build a structure so they could move the roughly 100-foot tree, which was planted back in 1912.

What Does It Take To Move A 10-Story Tree A Couple Of City Blocks?

3:50pm June 25, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

That answer, as seen Sunday in Boise, Idaho: $300,000 and a lot of determination. St. Luke's Health System, which moved the historic sequoia, says it "was never even an option" to cut it down.

An 1899 stereograph shows the Pioneer Cabin sequoia in Calaveras Grove, Calif.

Iconic Sequoia 'Tunnel Tree' Brought Down By California Storm

11:51am January 09, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

The Pioneer Cabin Tree in Calaveras Big Trees State Park was one of California's few remaining tunneled-through sequoias. It was hollowed out more than a century ago.

Giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada range can grow to be 250 feet tall — or more.

How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California's Drought?

4:31pm October 27, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

Four years of too little water is killing millions of trees in the Sierra, yet some giant sequoias still thrive. Tree-climbing scientists are exploring sequoias branch by branch to find their secret.

Queue Listen Now

The mystery man was in the tree for more than 24 hours.

National

After 24 Hours, Man At Top Of 80-Foot Sequoia Tree Climbs Down

6:35pm March 23, 2016

by Laura Wagner

A man who climbed an enormous tree in downtown Seattle on Tuesday morning and stayed there overnight repeatedly rebuffed police negotiators before climbing down safely on Wednesday.