The world’s largest tree, a so-called sequoia with a height of 83 meters, has been wrapped with aluminum foil in the hopes that it will protect against the California wildfires. The wildfires in the western United States have reached the national park where the trees are and are threatening more than 2,000 individuals.
Firefighters have started setting up fire hoses around the trees. “We take 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 2000 to 3000 year old trees.”
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This is how the imposing sequoias normally look in California.
© ANP
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While not the tallest trees in the world—California mahogany trees can reach 90 feet tall—the giant sequoias are the largest by volume. Smaller fires are generally not harmful to the redwoods because of the thick bark of the trees. The bigger and hotter fires are dangerous because they get higher up the tree and up to the leaves.
Lightning strikes
The fires that ravage the nature park started on September 10 as a result of lightning strikes. In recent months, thousands of acres in the western US have gone up in flames.
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See also: California fire department fights wildfires with fire
In California, areas of forest are being burned in a controlled manner to prevent worse.
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