The world’s largest tree, dubbed the 83-meter sequoia, has been wrapped in aluminum foil in the hope that it will protect against wildfires in California. Wildfires in the western United States have reached the national park where the trees are located and threaten more than 2,000 individuals.
Firefighters began erecting fire hoses around the trees. “We are taking extreme precautions to protect these redwoods,” said a spokesperson for the nature park where the trees are located. “We are doing everything we can to protect these 2,000 to 3,000-year-old trees.”
This is how the majestic sequoia usually looks in California.
© ANP
While they aren’t the tallest trees in the world—California mahogany trees can reach 90 feet in height—giant sequoia trees are by far the largest. Small fires are generally not harmful to redwoods due to the dense bark of the trees. Larger and hotter fires are dangerous because they rise above the tree and reach the leaves.
Lightning
The fires that engulfed the nature park on September 10, started as a result of lightning strikes. In recent months, thousands of acres have caught fire in the western United States.
SEE ALSO: California Fire Department battles wildfires with fire
In California, forest areas are burned in a controlled manner to prevent the worst from happening.
