Huge sequoia tree still smoldering months after California wildfire. What’s going on?

A single giant sequoia tree in a huge national park is giving off smoke — and it’s been doing so for months.

In the fall, a wildfire swept through Sequoia National Park and burned the area. Months later, one tree is still smoldering, park officials said Wednesday.

“Recently, National Park Service scientists and fire crews were surveying the effects from the 2020 Castle Fire in Sequoia National Park, when they observed a still smoldering and smoking giant sequoia tree that appears to be caused from last year’s fire,” park officials said in a news release.

Giant sequoias are the largest trees in the world, according to the National Park Service. They have thick red or orange bark that sets it apart from other trees, and the treetop is above the highest branches.

The trees are thousands of years old, sometimes as old as 3,400 years. They can act as a historic log of climate and fire history, the National Park Service said. They’ve survived many types of climate over thousands of years.

The smoldering tree shows park officials how dry the area has been.

“The fact areas are still smoldering and smoking from the 2020 Castle Fire demonstrates how dry the park is,” Leif Mathiesen, assistant fire management officer for Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, said in the news release. “With the low amount of snowfall and rain this year, there may be additional discoveries as spring transitions into summer.”

The tree is far from trails, and there’s no direct access to it, officials said. Even so, people can see it from a trail in the park.

The National Park Service closed Sequoia National Park in September as the Castle Fire continued to spread, The Sacramento Bee reported. When the park closed, the fire had already burned more than 100,000 acres and was only 12% contained.

Experts told the Los Angeles Times that the Castle Fire could have burned through hundreds of sequoia trees.

“This fire could have put a noticeable dent in the world’s supply of big sequoias,” Nate Stephenson, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told the Times.

Park officials said the smoldering tree isn’t a threat to life or property right now. If it becomes one, fire officials will take action.

“For over fifty years, our mission has been to use the full range of options and strategies available to manage fire in the parks,” park officials said. “This includes protecting park resources, employees, and the public from unwanted fire.”

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