For the Love of Trees

Burnt Sequoia and Boulder in Fog

The winter snowpack we get in the Sierra Nevada provides almost a third of California’s annual water needs, and after a dismal start to our winter season, we’re thankfully getting a series of wet storms to help stem the severe drought we’ve been experiencing after the worst wildfire year in modern history. Sequoias are known for their fire-resistant bark, several feet thick, which is evidenced by the burn scars witnessed throughout this forest. The only thing that could kill a thousands year old sequoia was old age, with only one or two of every 1,000 dying annually, but the amount of old growth groves that burned in the past five years is double what had burned in the previous century, with extreme climate and fires burning hotter than ever. Think about that. It will take more than firehoses to stem the destruction to the giant sequoias. I could choose not to photograph these majestic tree’s burn scars, but that would be disingenuous to the reality we face.
https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com

CaliforniaFogLandscapeNational ParkNatureRedwoodsSequoiaSequoia National ParkSierra NevadaTelephotoTreesTulare CountyUSAWintermistsnow