Weather & Science
Wildfire Threat Leads to Emergency Action to Protect California's Giant Sequoias
A plane drops fire retardant as the Washburn Fire burns near the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias and the south entrance of Yosemite National Park on July 11.
Photo: Eric Paul Zamora/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The US Forest Service will use emergency authority to expedite efforts to protect sequoias from severe wildfire.
The move allows the agency immediately to start reducing hazardous fuels in about 13,000 acres of sequoia groves on national forest lands. Dead trees and undergrowth can spark catastrophic blazes and kill the iconic sequoias.