FIREFIGHTERS pose with the historic General Sherman Tree, estimated to be around 2,300 to 2,700 years old, after wrapping it with structural wrap in the Sequoia National Park, California.—AFP
FIREFIGHTERS pose with the historic General Sherman Tree, estimated to be around 2,300 to 2,700 years old, after wrapping it with structural wrap in the Sequoia National Park, California.—AFP

RED FIR: Firefighters battling to protect the world’s biggest tree from wildfires ravaging the parched United States said on Friday they are optimistic it can be saved.

Flames are creeping closer to the majestic General Sherman and other giant sequoias, as man-made climate change worsens California’s fearsome fire season.

“We have hundreds of firefighters there giving it their all, giving extra care,” Mark Garrett, communications officer for the region’s fire department, said of the operation in Sequoia National Park.

Crews are battling the spreading Paradise and Colony fires, which have so far consumed 11,400 acres of forest since they were sparked by lightning a week ago.

The blazes are threatening Giant Forest, a grove of around 2,000 sequoias that includes five of the largest trees on the planet — some up to 3,000 years old.

The biggest of them all, the General Sherman stands 275 feet tall. On Thursday, Gen­eral Sherman was wrapped in fire-proof blankets — aluminum foil inte­nded to protect its giant trunk from the worst of the flames.

By Friday, managers felt they had the upper hand, thanks in part to clearing of undergrowth and controlled burns that starve the fire of fuel. “I think the most challenging part is the terrain here,” said Garrett.

But “we haven’t seen explosive fire behavior; it really slowed down and gave us a chance to get ahead of it.” Around 600 personnel are involved in the fight.

“We have folks up in the Giant Forest protecting structures and preparing everything.

“The fact is that they’ve been prescribed burning for the past 25 or 30 years so it is really prepared.” Millions of acres of California’s forests have burned in this year’s ferocious fire season. Scientists say global warming, stoked by the unchecked use of fossil fuels is making the area ever-more vulnerable to bigger and more destructive wildfires.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

PAKISTAN has now registered 50 polio cases this year. We all saw it coming and yet there was nothing we could do to...
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...