ARNOLD, Calif. — Two giant sequoias damaged during a prescribed burn last fall at Calaveras Big Trees State Park are alive and surrounded by thousands of seedlings.
According to California State Parks, scientists visited the park in early October and found the seedlings.
“Sequoia regeneration is one key forest management goal in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, and witnessing the results of the burn program through this new growth shows the importance of fire in the ecosystem. State Parks will continue to work to protect and preserve this land using many different tools and the latest science to manage the resources in the park,” said California State Parks Central Valley District Superintendent Danielle Gerhart.
While there are thousands of seedlings, only a few are expected to survive and become a new generation of giants. Visitors to the park’s North Grove are asked to stay on trails to avoid trampling the seedlings.
California State Parks says prescribed burns are vital to sequoia growth. The heat from the fire opens the cones and releases seeds, kills competing plants to open up the forest floor and creates gaps in the canopy allowing sunlight to reach the seedlings.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Toxic gas creates dead forest below Mammoth Mountain | Bartell's Backroads
