“The forest is not gone,”
An old-growth redwood tree named “Father of the Forest” is still standing Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
By MARTHA MENDOZA Associated Press
BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (AP) — When a massive wildfire swept through California’s oldest state park last week it was feared many trees in a grove of old-growth redwoods, some of them 2,000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth, may finally have succumbed.
But an Associated Press reporter and photographer hiked the renowned Redwood Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Monday and confirmed most of the ancient redwoods had withstood the blaze. Among the survivors is one dubbed Mother of the Forest.
“That is such good news, I can’t tell you how much that gives me peace of mind,” said Laura McLendon, conservation director for the Sempervirens Fund, an environmental group dedicated to the protection of redwoods and their habitats.
Firefighter Cody Nordstrom, of the North Central Fire station out of Kerman, Calif., monitors hot spots while fighting the CZU Lightning Complex Fire on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020, in Bonny Doon, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A wildfire-damaged sign welcomes visitors Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Fire burns in the hollow of an old-growth redwood tree in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif., Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Redwood forests are meant to burn, she said, so reports earlier this week that the state park was “gone” were misleading.
The historic park headquarters is gone, as are many small buildings and campground infrastructure that went up in flames as fire swept through the park about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of San Francisco.
“But the forest is not gone,” McLendon said. “It will regrow. Every old growth redwood I’ve ever seen, in Big Basin and other parks, has fire scars on them. They’ve been through multiple fires, possibly worse than this.”
When forest fires, windstorms and lightning hit redwood trees, those that don’t topple can resprout. Mother of the Forest, for example, used to be 329 feet tall (100 meters), the tallest tree in the park. After the top broke off in a storm, a new trunk sprouted where the old growth had been.
Trees that fall feed the forest floor, and become nurse trees from which new redwoods grow. Forest critters, from banana slugs to insects, thrive under logs.
A redwood forest smolders Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A fallen redwood tree continues to burn Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A fallen redwood tree continues to burn Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
On Monday, Steller’s jays searched for insects around the park’s partially burned outdoor amphitheater and woodpeckers could be heard hammering on trees. Occasionally a thundering crash echoed through the valley as large branches or burning trees fell.
When Big Basin opened in 1902 it marked the genesis of redwood conservation. The park now receives about 250,000 visitors a year from around the world, and millions have walked the Redwood Trail.
The park only recently reopened after COVID-19 related closures and now is closed because of the fire. The road in is blocked by several large trees that fell across it, some waist-high, some still on fire.
While there is a great deal of work to be done rebuilding campgrounds, clearing trails and managing damaged madrones, oaks and firs, Big Basin will recover, McLendon said.
“The forest, in some ways, is resetting,” she said.
State Parks District Superintendent Chris Spohrer said he was pleased to know the redwoods had survived. He said an assessment team had only been able to check buildings so far, and that he hopes they can inspect the trees in the coming days.
“The reason those trees are so old is because they are really resilient,” he said.
Independent journalist Eric Ananmalay crosses under a fallen tree Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
An old-growth redwood tree named “Mother of the Forest” is still standing in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif., Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. The CZU Lightning Complex wildfire tore through the park but most of the redwoods, some as old as 2,000 years, were still standing. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
The fire-ravaged park headquarters building is seen after the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire passed through Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A fallen old-growth redwood tree falls over a road leading up park headquarters Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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