A new analysis reveals that intentionally set, low-intensity fires – prescribed burns – significantly increase the survival rate of giant sequoia trees during increasingly extreme wildfires. Researchers found trees in areas treated with these controlled burns were nearly four times more likely to survive recent devastating blazes.
A study analyzing approximately 26,400 sequoias determined that prescribed burns are a crucial tool for protecting these ancient trees. Recent extreme wildfires claimed the lives of thousands of sequoias which had survived for centuries or even millennia. The analysis showed that trees in areas managed with prescribed burns had a substantially higher survival rate.
Researchers estimate that the controlled fires prevented around 1,900 tree deaths and suggest that if implemented across all groves, thousands more could have been saved. This highlights the importance of actively managing forests with fire to build resilience against larger, more destructive wildfires.
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