Walk amidst a grove of giant sequoia trees and their size astounds the senses. Walk around a number of these behemoths and the fire scars that extend deep into the interior of the still living trees, astounds even further. Fire is part of the natural cycle, and for trees that reach immense age and size, sooner or later a fire will burn at the base of a tree. And sometimes, in the top of a tree. And sometimes, an entire tree will burn from the inside out.
Many giant sequoia trees have huge fire scars, yet the trees continue to live for centuries, not rotting, and not diseased, just burned and recovering. The chemical makeup of sequoias keeps disease and many insect pests away, allowing a damaged tree to recover and thrive. Indeed, old denizens of a giant sequoia grove almost all have burn scars.
Lightning often strikes trees, sometimes shattering a tree into thousands of pieces, other times knocking out the top half of the tree. I've encountered shattered pines (heard the thunderclap and went searching for the hit tree), I've seen trees with spiral burn scars where the lightning left a burned path twisting down and around the tree. And I've seen trees that have lost their tops due to storms, winds, fires.
Lightning storms often visit the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and at times, giant sequoia groves. Last week, such a storm brought lightning and a giant sequoia caught fire. The USFS issued a press release and photos of the burning tree which is in Evans Grove, in Giant Sequoia National Monument. According to the press release, the fire cannot be safely put out so the tree will burn as it will.
Giant sequoia trees thrive with fire. Their seeds disperse and sprout with fire. Seedlings successfully grow after fire. The behemoths need fire, without it no new fire scars would lend personality to the old trees.


Images are from the press release:
Recent Fire Discovered Burning in Giant Sequoia Tree
SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST On Monday, June 1st Buck Rock Lookout reported seeing a fire in the Evans Giant Sequoia Grove on the Hume Lake Ranger District, Giant Sequoia National Monument. By noon firefighters were on scene to find a 12 foot diameter giant sequoia tree on fire with about a 10th of an acre ground fire smoldering around the tree. It is a hollow tree with fire burning inside from the base all the way to the top. Given the nature of the tree and its position on the landscape, the options of trying to put out the fire in the tree using aircraft or ground delivery water sources would be ineffective and unsafe for firefighters.
It was determined that about 60 feet of the top of the tree was knocked out when it was struck by lightning. There were several thunderstorms reported in the area the day prior with a significant amount of lightning and rain associated with those storms.
The “Burton Fire” is burning in a remote section of the Evans Grove and presently does not pose a threat to the general public or private property that is located in this area. A 5-person engine crew and 10 person handcrew as needed are assigned to the fire.
Forest officials have decided to suppress this fire using a confine/containment strategy based on fuel and weather conditions. By using natural barriers and openings, a containment line has been established that encompasses approximately 2 acres surrounding the tree. According to District Ranger John Exline, “If this fire had occurred later in the summer, the district may have chosen a different strategy and tactic based on weather, time of year, smoke dispersal, and burning conditions in relationship to resource benefit resulting in a larger confine/containment area.”
Weather forecasts are for continued thunderstorm activity and the possibility of precipitation, crews will continue to monitor this fire. For more information on the Burton Fire please contact the Hume Lake Ranger District 559-338-2251.