With the Washburn Fire at 25% containment as of Monday, the famous giant sequoias of Yosemite National Park’s Mariposa Grove have seemingly been spared the worst, according to Yosemite forest ecologist and firefighter Garrett Dickman. And while the trees aren’t entirely out of the woods yet, so to speak, Dickman told SFGATE he's optimistic that the beloved giants are poised to survive.
“The grove itself right now seems to be in pretty good shape,” said Dickman, who on Sunday surveyed the western part of the grove, which was also the eastern flank of the Washburn Fire. “I walked through all the parts that burned and did not see any mortality. … Some of the trees had some burn on them, but the level of burn was well within their ability to to handle it.”
Mariposa Grove is one of Yosemite’s prime attractions, with more than 500 mature giant sequoias stretching up to more than 200 feet high and dating back over 2,000 years. The grove was first set aside in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln as part of California's first state park.
Dickman confirmed that flames have not reached several of the most famous trees — the Grizzly Giant, the Clothespin Tree, the California Tunnel Tree and the Fallen Monarch. A sprinkler system was put in place to protect the Grizzly Giant and also the Galen Clark Tree, which was named for a 19th century conservationist and stands in the northeastern part of the grove.
“The Galen Clark Tree is most certainly going to be in the fire footprint,” Dickman said. “But based on the level of effort that firefighters were putting into it yesterday, I'm pretty confident it's going to make it.”
What’s saved these trees, Dickman said, is simple: fuel reduction treatments.