Fire Ecology Lesson

The Giant Sequoia of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Behemoth of the Forest, the largest life-form on the planet; at maturity, ten times bigger than the blue whale. Easterners and Europeans refused to believe tales of a single tree that took twenty men with outstretched arms touching fingertip to fingertip to encircle its base, containing enough timber to construct an entire subdivision. Some of these ancient giants have stood as unflinching guards over the forest for over three millennia.

This great natural wonder of the world withstood the onslaught of the great California Gold Rush as well as the transcontinental army of European landseekers. A full third of its numbers perished during a late-nineteenth century slaughter by the mercenary lumber companies which resorted to boring out its heart with mining augers and blasting with TNT to fell these majestic royal red titans.

Early in the Twentieth Century, our Uncle Sam compassionately commissioned various "guardians" to oversee and protect the forest from further harm: The U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service… Rangers, heavy equipment operators, hot shot crews, fire lookouts, tanker planes, smoke jumpers, and helicopters joined forces in the battle to protect our precious timberlands. Smokey the Bear launched his powerfully-effective, forest fire prevention media campaign in 1945.

By the 1960's, however, it became obvious that, in the midst of our protective arsenal, something was amiss. Forest researchers had discovered that Giant Sequoias were no longer reproducing--- hardly a seedling or a sapling could be found within any of the 75 Big Tree Groves of the Sierra!

Research dedicated to solving the Mystery of the Vanishing Giants later that decade revealed that the missing ingredient in the life of the towering redwood was fire! Of all things--- greatest of woodland ironies--- the one factor believed to be the Sequoia's worst enemy turned out to be its greatest ally! The giant forests, it appeared, would have fared infinitely better had fire been allowed to have its way.

Fire consumes thick layers of litter and duff, turning then into fertile mineral soil which is mandatory in order for tiny Sequoia seeds (92,000 seeds to the pound!) to sprout and take root. Fire also kills many competing species of shade-tolerant trees and shrubs which have invaded Sequoia groves, allowing copious sunlight to penetrate; this gives the baby giants, which must have ample direct light, a happy beginning. Sequoias themselves are blessed with their own protection from damage by fire, enveloped as they are by the thickest bark of any species on earth. Why, it is almost as tough this tree was thoughtfully designed to live in close association/dependency upon fire! It is now clear, in fact, that the very survival of Sequoiadendron giganteum depends on the presence of fire.

So…is fire an evil force in our treasured mountains? A dreadful, wretched serpent to be reckoned with at all costs? OR…Might it just be the most important factor in maintaining a healthy forest? Don't you think it's time that we answer such a basic, critical question? Especially considering the intense effort and such incredible fortunes that our culture has invested into preventing wildland fires for the past century. Do it for Smokey.

---by Maynard Medefind