"Redwood forests are world's most efficient way of removing and storing global warming causing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

"What was once a lush forest is now a "moonscape."

At least a tenth of the world's mature giant sequoias were destroyed by a single wildfire that tore through the southern Sierra Nevada late last year, according to a draft report prepared by scientists with the National Park Service and shared with the Visalia Times-Delta.

The catastrophic discovery that forest managers called "mind-blowing" comes five months after firefighters contained the Castle Fire — which scorched 175,000 acres across the Sequoia National Park and forest.

Between 7,500 and 10,000 monarchs perished in the wildfire, which equates to 10% to 14% of the world's mature giant sequoia population, the study found. Researchers used satellite imagery and modeling from previous fires that burned through old-growth sequoia groves to arrive at the figure."

Joshua Yeager reports for the Visalia Times Delta June 1, 2021. [2]