It’s no secret that 2020 seems to have it in for us. As if the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing unrest over racial injustice and police brutality, widespread unemployment, and a pair of hurricanes bearing down weren’t enough, California is literally on fire .
With blazes sweeping across the state, forcing hundreds of thousands to face the prospect of evacuation and millions to breathe smoke-filled air, any good news is welcome. Fortunately, there’s some to be had.
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The giant redwoods at Big Basin Redwoods State Park have largely been spared from the wildfires.
The park itself has not been spared altogether but the mighty trees, some of which are 2,000 years old and among the tallest and oldest living things on Earth, have been found scorched but still standing, the Associated Press reported.
Many experts feared the worst when the fires roared into the park’s area. “That is such good news, I can’t tell you how much that gives me peace of mind,” Laura McLendon, conservation director for the Sempervirens Fund, an environmental group dedicated to protecting redwoods and their habitats, told AP News.
The park did sustain some serious damage.
Big Basin had only recently reopened following its closure for COVID-19, too. Now, its headquarters and visitors center has been reduced to rubble and ash. Many other small buildings and campground infrastructure was also destroyed in the fires.
“But the forest is not gone,” McLendon stressed. “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.”
Nevertheless, the relief that the redwoods had been spared the worst was palpable.
State Parks District Superintendent Chris Spohrer told AP News that he was pleased about the redwoods surviving, but not surprised. “The reason those trees are so old is because they are really resilient.”
Big Basin will be back as well.
The damage is still being assessed, and there’s much work on that front, as downed trees will have to be cleared even to get into some areas to see what else has been damaged. However, fundraising efforts have already begun. Sempervirens Fund has already created two funds to help with relief and recovery efforts.
h/t: Associated Press