Prescribed Burns Boost Giant Sequoia Survival as Climate Change Raises Wildfire Risk in California Parks

A collaborative study by the University of California, Davis, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service found that prescribed low‑intensity fires spared roughly 1,900 giant sequoias and likely saved an additional 4,000 trees in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks after the 2020 Castle Fire and the 2021 KNP Complex Fire. Lead author Dan Dixon said, "For sequoias, it's going to be absolutely essential, and the managers … are doing their best to get as much low‑intensity fire on the ground as possible."

Separate research led by UC Berkeley professor Patrick Gonzalez warned that climate change has already pushed temperatures in Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Lassen Volcanic National Parks above the global average and could double or triple wildfire frequency under a high‑emissions scenario. The study predicts vegetation zones shifting upslope by 230‑480 m, expanding fire into areas that historically experienced few blazes.