The key to protecting California’s giant sequoias from wildfire — controlled fires

A UC Davis study found that prescribed burns in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks significantly increased the survival rate of giant sequoias during the 2020-2021 wildfires. Researchers used satellite imagery and AI to determine that trees treated with controlled fires were four times more likely to survive. Over 1,900 sequoias were saved, and an additional 3,900 could have survived if all trees had been treated.