Photos taken in April 2021 (left) and photos taken on November 15, 2023 at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, about a mile from our headquarters, are from the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire. It shows a dramatic recovery. The photo is from a camera that scientists at Northern Arizona University placed in the trees to take daily measurements of the forest. (Photos by Andrew Richardson/Northern Arizona University, Drew Pelletier/UNLV)
BOULDER CREEK — A multi-year study on the recovery of redwood trees in Big Basin Redwoods State Park after the CZU Lightning Facility Fire was recently published, revealing long-term stored carbon reserves and ancient dormant buds within redwood trees. This has been shown to allow plants to recover quickly after a fire. Devastating fire.
The research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Save the Sequoias Alliance, with additional support from the California State Parks and Sempervirens Foundation, and was led by Northern Arizona University biologist and assistant professor Drew Peltier. Written by a team of scientists and researchers at the University of Arizona. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, formerly Northern Arizona University.
“Some of the results of this study suggest that many of the Big Basin sequoias were indeed well prepared for this fire,” Pelletier said in a statement. “Coastal sequoias are highly fire-adapted and are probably unusual in that they will sprout again after a disturbance such as a fire. We have no idea how they actually do it physiologically. I was surprised to discover that there were.”
The 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire spread over 135 square miles in the Santa Cruz Mountains and burned approximately 97% of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, destroying nearly all structures and destroying the park’s flora and fauna. .
The study found that long-lived species such as coastal sequoias often develop “insurance strategies” to increase their resilience during times of resource scarcity, stress, and traumatic events such as pest outbreaks and wildfires. That’s what it means. After a fire, burned sequoias recover by resprouting from their roots, trunks, and branches. These trees, which can be years or even decades old, are supported by carbon reserves, primarily sugars and starches.
A research team from Northern Arizona University collected samples of small sequoia tree shoots in the Big Basin after the CZU Fire. Using Northern Arizona University’s proprietary mini-carbon dating tool, the research team studied the samples to determine the age of the carbon reserves used to grow new leaves.
The researchers estimated that in some of the trees studied, up to half of the shoot carbon was produced through photosynthesis about 60 years ago. Research shows that direct use of this old carbon is rarely documented and has never been used in large old trees, such as the 1,500-year-old trees in the Big Basin.
It is estimated that dormant shoots emerge from the buds and have been waiting for a shocking event for centuries under the bark of the sequoia. According to the study, “For organisms with millennium lifespans, traits that enable survival in rare but catastrophic events can be important energy sinks. Photosynthesis decades ago after a disturbance The remobilization of materials demonstrates the presence of significant amounts of nonstructural carbon within ancient tree cycles on slow multidecadal timescales.”
“The CZU fire destroyed all the leaves on some of the world’s tallest and oldest trees, but many are recovering,” George Koch, a biology professor at Northern Arizona University, said in a statement. Ta. “The scientific name for the sequoia is sempervirens, which means everlasting. I’m very happy to learn a little more about how this remarkable species lives up to its name.”
As part of the study, the researchers installed cameras in the canopy of Big Basin trees to monitor growth progress. These cameras are part of his PhenoCam network at the university, which tracks vegetation growth and seasonal changes in ecosystems around the world.
“This fascinating study reveals how coastal sequoias were able to adapt and survive for thousands of years by harnessing the carbon they stored over decades to give them new life. ” said Joanna Nelson, director of science and conservation planning for the Save the Sequoias Federation. statement. “These discoveries mean we can protect our last remaining old-growth sequoia trees, use best forest management practices, and grow younger trees to make them more resilient to future wildfires and other climate impacts.” Highlights why secondary forest restoration must continue” change. “