SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (KCBS RADIO) – Their covered facades were beamed around the world, shocking many and shining a light on the devastating impacts of climate change to our most prized landmarks.
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Now the storied trees found in Sequoia National Park's famous Giant Forest are back on display – and crowds are pouring in for a look.
In California alone, we've seen wildfire level huge sections of Lassen Volcanic National Park and Big Basin Redwoods State Park, among many other beloved locations. Last September, a huge fire came for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, nestled comfortably in California's Sierra Nevada just outside of Fresno, Calif.
The KNP Complex Fire – as it came to be known – was sparked by lightning and burned through huge areas of the neighboring parks, leveling trees and leaving debris flows and rockslides in its wake. The fire ended up blackening almost 90,000 acres. Hundreds of giant sequoia trees were lost.
But not these.
You may remember viral pictures of firefighters wrapping the General Sherman Tree with protective foil to shield it from fire and embers. In the end, that foil helped save the storied tree – the world's largest single-stem tree measured by volume – and many others like it, while parts of the park just down the road weren't spared from the intense flames.
Just two months after the Giant Forest fully reopened, crowds descended upon the tourist-heavy spot over Memorial Day weekend. Lines of awe-struck parkgoers stretched around the General Sherman Tree for a momentary photo opportunity. Others hiked the Giant Forest to see surrounding giant sequoias.
Hundreds of people lined the trails.
Compared to the images seen worldwide, this was a fantastic sight – and a wonderful respite from an otherwise heartbreaking year-round wildfire cycle.
With as many as 5% of the large giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada dead following the recent KNP Complex and Windy fires, make it a priority to see these treasures sooner rather than later.
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