California wildfires: The world’s largest tree has been wrapped in a blanket to protect it from the fire

Firefighters wrapped the base of the world’s largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket As part of an effort to save a famous forest of giant ancient redwoods from Wildfires are burning in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada.

General Sherman’s Giant Tree of the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, Fire spokeswoman Rebecca Patterson said some other redwoods, the Giant Forest Museum and other buildings have been wrapped to protect against the possibility of severe flames.

The aluminum casing can withstand extreme heat for short periods. Federal officials said they have used the material for several years throughout the western United States to protect sensitive structures from fire. Near Lake Tahoe, some homes that were wrapped in protective material recently survived a wildfire, while others nearby have been destroyed.

It was expected to be Colonial fire One of the two burning sequoias in Sequoia National Park and named after the area where it began will reach the giant forest, a grove of 2,000 redwoods, within a few days, according to fire officials.

however, The fire did not increase significantly on Thursday as a layer of smoke slowed its spread in the morningFire Department spokeswoman Katie Hooper said.

The fires broke out after a forest fire in the area last year that killed thousands of redwoods, Some of them are as high as skyscrapers and are thousands of years old.

The General Sherman tree is the largest in the world by volume, with an area of ​​​​1487 cubic meters, According to the National Park Service. It has a height of 84 meters and a circumference of 31 meters at ground level.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Director Clay Jordan stressed the importance of protecting the massive trees from fires. High intensity during a firefighter’s briefing.

date 50 years of prescribed use for burning Deliberately setting fires to eliminate other types of trees and plants that would fuel forest fires. In redwood groves in parks, help giant trees survive by reducing the impact if flames reach them.

a “The strong record of scheduled fires in that area is cause for optimism”Patterson said. “We hope the Forest of Giants will come out unscathed from this.”

Giant sequoia adapts to fire, which can help them thrive by releasing seeds from their cones and creating gaps that allow young redwoods to grow. But the extraordinary intensity of the fires – fueled by climate change – could overwhelm the trees.

It happened last year when castle fire Erase what studies estimate to be between them 7.500 And 10.600 Large redwood, according to the National Park Service.

Historical droughts and heat waves associated with climate change have made it more difficult to fight wildfires in the American West. Scientists say climate change has made the region warmer and drier over the past 30 years and will continue to do so The weather is more extreme and wildfires are more frequent and destructive.

The national interagency fire management team led the effort to combat the 30-square-kilometre Paradise Fire and the 8-square-kilometre Colony fire, which is closest to the orchard. Operations were carried out in that area to burn plants and other fuels that could fuel the fires.

Fires forced the park to be evacuated this week, And parts of the town of Three Rivers, outside the main entrance, remained empty.

To the south, a fire in India’s Tuli River Reserve and Giant Sequoia National Monument grew significantly overnight, reaching more than 15 square kilometersCrews were unable to contain it, according to a statement from the Sequoia National Forest.

storm fire It also started with lightning, it burned part of the Sequoia grove in Biruni in the National Monument, and other groves were threatened.

“Because of the inaccessibility of the terrain, it would be difficult to make a preliminary assessment of the effects of the fire on the giant sequoia trees within the orchard. May take days to completeThe statement said.

The fire prompted the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office to warn the communities of Ponderosa, Quiking Aspen, Johnsondale and Whiteset, a Boy Scout camp, to prepare for evacuation if necessary.

The wildfires are the latest in a long summer of fires that have burned nearly 3,550 square miles (9,195 square kilometers) in California, destroying hundreds of homes.

The crew had limited access to the Colony Fire, and the steep terrain around Fire Paradise completely prevented this, requiring a large amount of water and flame retardants to be shot out of the air over both fires.

(By Noah Berger and John Antzac – The Associated Press)

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