“It’s a Moonscape” — 10% of the World’s Giant Sequoias Wiped Out By One Wildfire

KQED's Forum

KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2021

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

One tenth of the world's mature giant sequoias were killed by the Castle Fire that scorched the southern Sierra Nevada late last year after a flurry of lightning strikes according to a new draft report prepared by the National Park Service. That’s an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 trees that had previously survived thousands of years of wildfires. Giant sequoias capture carbon dioxide from human pollution, provide critical habitat for wildlife and protect the watershed that communities rely on. We’ll talk about how far-reaching the consequences of losing these trees could be, the impact of this year’s extreme drought conditions on sequoia seedling regrowth and the outlook for sequoias in a changing climate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:28.7	From KQED, I'm Leslie McClurg. At least a tenth of the world's mature giant sequoia trees were destroyed by wildfires last year. That's in a draft report from the National Park Service. We'll talk about what losing the Giants means for the southern Sierra and California's future. And then more than 100,000 people are currently awaiting a kidney transplant, a weight
1:34.7	that can last as long as five years or more. That's why many patients are seeking a living kidney donor.
1:40.9	We'll talk about what it takes to become a donor and weigh the risks and rewards of
1:45.2	donating an organ. That's next on Forum right after this news.
2:00.0	Welcome to Forum. I'm Leslie McClurg. Scientists estimate up to 10,000 giant sequoia trees burned down last year.
2:08.4	Trees that have survived thousands of years of wildfires. That's from a National Park Service draft report on the castle fires damage. That's 10 to 14% of the world's sequoia trees.
2:20.1	We'll talk about whether the giants can survive climate change. And we want to hear from you.
2:24.9	What questions do you have about the giant majestic sequoias? How does this news hit you?
2:29.9	Give us a call at 1866-7-33-6786. That's 1866-733-6786.
2:38.0	You can also get in touch on Twitter and Facebook.
2:40.0	We're at KQED Forum, or you can email your questions the old-fashioned way to forum at kQED.org.
2:47.0	We're now joined by Christy Brigham, Chief of Resources Management and Science at Sequoia in
	...

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