Yes, there are giant sequoia seedlings

But NPS officials report that natural regeneration is insufficient

Volume 1, Number 70 - Thursday, July 27, 2023
Published twice a week, on Monday and Thursday

Giant sequoia trees killed by the Castle Fire in Homer’s Nose Grove, South Fork of the Kaweah River, Sequoia National Park. This grove is among areas the National Park Service is considering for re-planting of giant sequoias and other conifers. The photo was taken during a helicopter flight over the area in November 2020. — NPS photo by Anthony Caprio

By Claudia Elliott
Giant Sequoia News

Giant sequoia seeds have germinated in areas hit by wildfire in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, sending hopeful new growth up through the ashes.

But in a virtual presentation on July 25, park officials said the seedling density observed in sampled plots is not sufficient to create a sustainable forest.

Christy Brigham, Chief of Resources Management and Science at SEKI*, said park scientists drew on previous research to compare the density they observed in post-fire sampling with the density needed to create a stable population of giant sequoia trees.

Without enough seedlings to “live through all the challenges of being a sequoia” — drought, trampling, tree-falling, repeated fires — not enough seedlings will survive to create the monarch trees essential for the future, Brigham said.

Park Superintendent Clay Jordan defined the purpose of the proposed project — “Re-establish Tree Seedlings in Severely Burned Giant Sequoia Groves and Adjacent Fisher Habitat in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park” — at the beginning of the virtual presentation.

“The concern really is that all of the reproductive mother trees within the portions of six sequoia groves in these parks have been killed by high-severity fire, and those that remain are too far from large portions of these grows to enable sufficient regeneration into the future,” he said.

“If sequoia trees and other conifers do not regenerate successfully, at comparable numbers to what we have seen elsewhere, such that restoration of a canopy of is unlikely, we believe these forests will likely convert to shrub-dominated communities that are more susceptible to more frequent high-severity fire, and any trees that do survive for a number of years will not likely last long.”

Following the fires in 2020 and 2021, scientists and others have observed green seedlings pushing their way up from the ground where millions of seeds were dispersed.

And in some areas where high-severity wildfires killed giant sequoias, young trees are growing — as noted in a recent lawsuit against the Forest Service by Sequoia ForestKeeper and Earth Island Institute.

That litigation is related to a project on Sierra National Forest, about 70 crow miles northwest of areas where the National Park Service is proposing planting giant sequoias and other conifers.

Read the Giant Sequoia News report about the litigation HERE.

And the John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute, on June 30, published a photo of seedlings in the Redwood Mountain Grove, an area of SEKI included in the NPS proposal.

There was an apparent reference to Chad Hanson, ecologist and executive director of the John Muir Project, and others during the question-and-answer session of the July 25 presentation.

“What is your response to recent observations by independent forest scientists that natural regeneration is occurring in undisturbed post-fire sequoias groves,” was the question from a viewer who did not provide their name.

The question was routed to Brigham.

“We welcome independent forest scientists to collect data and are interested … to compare methodologies and results and learn from anyone who has relevant data,” she said. “We agree that there is some natural regeneration, and that’s really good news.

“We are hopeful that some of those seedlings will reach maturity,” she noted. But — as noted in her presentation and the EA document, “we do not feel the current reproduction is adequate across most areas.

“Additionally, we feel that the conditions for more successful germination and regeneration are rapidly declining based on previous studies,” Brigham said. “And previous surveys also indicate that numbers decline through the season — in year two and from year two to year five.”

The plan

“This plan is on the heels of two of the most devastating fires in the history of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks, the 2020 Castle Fire, which was part of the SQF Complex Fire, and the next year, the 2021 KNP Complex, that together along with a third wildfire that also occurred in 2021, killed an estimated 13 to 19% of all the giant sequoias in the world,” Jordan said. “And while most of us in the West have come to better understand the benefits of wildfire, and indeed saw some largely beneficial fire effects across the parks during the two fires, the fire effects that we observed, which was thousands of acres of largely contiguous high-severity fire, and the mortality of thousands of large sequoias is unprecedented and alarming to someone responsible for their protection.

“While I can't do anything about the loss of these monarchs, which are the reproductive trees of these forests, the Park Service can potentially prevent past mistakes,” he continued. “I'm specifically referring to a century of fire suppression and the associated fuels that have accumulated and been exacerbated by recent drought in higher temperatures under a changing environment. We can hopefully prevent these mistakes from altering these forests forever.”

The NPS proposed a replanting project called the Board Camp Restoration Project in early 2022, with plans to use a lower level of environmental review, a Categorical Exclusion. But the proposal drew more than 2,800 comments — many of them critical of the project — and in March of this year, SEKI held a virtual meeting to explain and solicit input to develop a higher level of environmental review, an Environmental Assessment, for the current project.

Read the Giant Sequoia News report about the March meeting and earlier effort HERE.

Jordan noted that a data-driven decision-making framework will be used as officials consider “whether or not to plant (trees) in areas that have been impacted by the human and climate-driven high-severity wildfire that we’ve been talking about.”

He further described the project in terms of what is not proposed.

“Any intervention would be limited to planting,” he said. “We are not proposing to remove shrubs and masticate brush at this time. We are not proposing to install fencing to protect the young seedlings. We are not proposing to even water what we might plant. Rather, we are proposing to limit our action to the minimum action necessary to direct the trajectory of these forests towards a full recovery.”

Project area

According to the EA, based on post-fire assessments completed to date, the NPS has preliminarily determined that — in order to address the purpose and need for action — intervention may be necessary on up to roughly 1,200 acres of formerly forested areas across Redwood Mountain Grove, Suwanee Grove, New Oriole Lake Grove, Dillonwood Grove 7, Board Camp Grove, Homer’s Nose Grove, and the proposed critical habitat corridor in Fisher Core Habitat Area 3, south of Redwood Mountain Grove. However, the NPS would apply the results from additional site-specific analyses that have been, and would continue to be, completed through a decision-making framework to determine if planting is necessary and, if so, the extent to which it is warranted in each proposed location. 

Most of the area proposed for planting is within giant sequoia groves and also within the John Krebs Wilderness. Reference to fisher habitat is to areas that have been identified as important to the survival of the Pacific fisher, a small mammal that is on the federal list required by the Endangered Species Act.

‘What are you hiding?’

The rancor that plagues projects related to giant sequoias was evident in at least two of the questions from anonymous viewers of the July 25 presentation.

“Why is the closure order in place? What are you hiding?” was one question.

And, “whose data is being used to justify this reckless project? Has any timber industry money financed any of this data?”

The reference to the closure order was to restrictions the NPS has put on access to areas that were first hit hard by wildfires and more recently impacted by heavy snowpack and flooding.

“The bottom line is that there are just a lot of hazards within the fire area,” Jordan said. But he added that park officials have decided that they will allow access to people willing and able to accept the risks and will continue to provide escorted access.

“It’s an active tree-fall area,” he said. “I can’t pretend it’s not hazardous; that’s why it’s going to remain closed to the general public until its responsible for us to remove (the closure order.”

Brigham addressed the question that referenced a “reckless project” and the timber industry.

She went into detail to describe the data about giant sequoias developed by NPS, the United States Geological Service, San Jose State University and the University of California over the past 50 years.

“I can’t imagine why the timber industry would be interested in this project,” she said. “This is wilderness, this will not be a tree plantation. There are no plans to cut any living trees or do any salvage logging. There’s no plans to remove any material.”

She also asked the individual to provide comment as to why they believed the project is reckless.

“Our analysis did not find significant negative impacts from the proposed action alternatives,” she said. “If we’re missing something — some potential negative ecological outcomes or other significant impacts from the action alternatives — please point that out during the comment period.”

One comment made following the July 25 presentation was complimentary of the NPS effort.

Joanna Nelson, director of science and conservation planning for Save the Redwoods League, thanked Brigham “for an excellent overview of a data-driven process with a decision tree, supported by peer-reviewed literature.

“I appreciate this thorough and robust work on the part of SEKI/NPS,” she said. “Your decision framework makes sense and looks excellent.”

Save the Redwoods League and SEKI are among members of the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, formed in 2021 in response to unprecedented giant sequoia mortality during recent high-severity wildfires.

What’s next?

The EA and related documents can be accessed at the project website HERE.

Comments on the EA will be accepted until Aug. 6. Comments will be accepted via the project website or by mail to: Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Attn: Re-establish Giant Sequoia, 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271.

Public comment will be analyzed, and SEKI expects to announce a decision on the EA sometime this fall.

Areas proposed for replanting of giant sequoias and other conifers. — Courtesy of NPS

A related report

So far, there has not been a lot of reporting about the NPS proposal to replant giant sequoias. A notable exception is THIS excellent report from Marissa Ortega-Welch, an environmental journalist who visited Board Camp recently. You will see that you can listen to the report she prepared for KALW Public Media (91.7 FM, Bay Area) and also read a transcript and see photos from her visit.

She spoke with Christy Brigham of SEKI* and also Andrew Bishop, restoration ecologist for the NPS and tree-climbers gathering giant sequoia cones for the NPS. And she spoke with attorney René Voss, a Wilderness Watch board member. Voss is also affiliated with other organizations that have been critical of — and sometimes sued — the government over giant sequoia issues. She said that Voss had also recently visited the Board Camp area.

About a year ago, in a Wilderness Watch newsletter, Voss wrote an article critical of the NPS plan to replant giant sequoias in the John Krebs Wilderness. You can read it HERE.

Ortega-Welch’s report is worth a listen or a read as you prefer (at the link HERE).

I found one comment she made very insightful:

Rene Voss and Wilderness Watch, the biologists (Brigham and Bishop), and the tree climbers all have the same goal of being good stewards for this place, but the disagreement is about what stewardship should look like.”

Ah, yes, the conundrum.

Lodgepole Visitor Center ribbon-cutting

Among places for visitors to get information in SEKI* is the Lodgepole Visitor Center, but apparently, it was closed for renovation for some time.

The exhibits have been redesigned and installed, and the facility opened to the public on July 1. A ribbon-cutting to celebrate will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 4.

Wildfire, water & weather update

Slightly cooler weather is expected in the mountains where many giant sequoias grow. The best Sierra Nevada weather forecasts can be found at NWS Hanford, HERE, and NWS Sacramento, HERE. 

Wildfire update: Here’s the federal Situation Report for today. Across the country this morning, there are 29 uncontained large fires, in addition to 23 fires being managed under a strategy other than full suppression. You can view the California map HERE. 

CalFire’s incident page this morning shows 3,619 wildfires this season, with 22,325 acres burned. 

The lightning-caused Pika Fire in Yosemite National Park remains the largest active wildfire in the state, although a couple of southern California wildfires are growing and may catch up.

Sierra Sun Times on Monday updated its report about the lightning-caused Pika Fire in Yosemite National Park HERE.

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Giant sequoias in the news

• Sierra Nevada Ally, a nonprofit based in Carson City, Nevada, has published an article about giant sequoias, HERE. And an excerpt:

Grand as they are, it’s easy to overlook giant sequoias, even for those who visit the Sierra Nevada range often. Tahoe skiers and Yosemite climbers don’t even pass close to the biggest clusters of the world’s largest trees in Sequoia National Park.

At least once in a while, they should. Giant sequoias rate among the world’s tallest, oldest and prettiest living things. A misty walk among the reddish-brown majesties refreshes the soul, and if you can wait, autumn visitors get to enjoy fall foliage while missing summer heat and crowds.

• People in Michigan do love their giant sequoias! I mean that literally, as sometimes I find more articles written about a giant sequoia growing in Manistee, Michigan, as I do those about the Big Trees in the Sierra Nevada. You can read one of the latest articles HERE. And in another recent article HERE, the co-founder of the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive claims that Michigan’s champion giant sequoia, planted in 1948, “is healthier than the sequoias in California.”

• Sonora’s Union-Democrat HERE has an article about the reopening of Tioga Pass in Yosemite last Saturday.

• Not about giant sequoias, but certainly of interest, The Hill reports HERE that the Forest Service said Monday that the Cerro Pelado Fire which burned more than 60 square miles in New Mexico last year was caused by the agency’s own prescribed burn.

• The San Franciso Chronicle published an article last week (gift link HERE) about using a robot to set prescribed fires.

Giant sequoia around the world

Sequoia Valley Farms, a plant nursery in Australia, markets Sequoiadendron giganteum as “Giant Redwood.” Available trees are in 200mm or 300mm planters and range in price from $54.95 to $99.95.

According to the sales page HERE, “Giant Redwoods require quite a substantial amount of moisture from the soil, and will do better in Australian climate zones 5 to 7 and will tolerate zone 4 with adequate water supply.” 

And they’re optimistic down under. Buyers are advised to “Ensure to plant in a space that can endure its presence for thousands of years.”

Vacation coming up

I have a vacation coming up with an uncertain Internet connection, so I plan to skip publication of the next three editions — July 31, Aug. 3 and Aug. 7. There is a good chance that important news related to giant sequoias might take place during that time. I’ll report it if my internet connection allows; otherwise, the publication will resume on Aug. 10 with Volume 2, Number 1.

* Miscellaneous conventions

I may not have mentioned this before, but in second references to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, I will use the acronym SEKI used by the NPS. And for Sequoia National Forest, I will use SQF. Although this is a departure from the Associated Press style that I try to observe, since these acronyms are used by the agencies, it makes sense to follow suit.

Thanks for reading!

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