World’s Second-Largest Tree Damaged by Fire
The world’s second-largest tree has been damaged by a lightning-sparked fire allowed to burn for several months as part of a forest management plan, park officials said Friday.
The fire caused a partial collapse of the Washington Tree in Sequoia National Park, cutting 16 to 23 feet from the top of the more than 200-foot-tall tree. The tree was already weakened from fire damage in the early 1800s. Park scientists believe the tree will survive.
The blaze was discovered in the Giant Forest on July 30. Park officials decided to allow the fire to burn in a controlled manner to clear brush that could have ignited a larger blaze in the future.
It took six weeks for the fire to reach the Washington Tree, officials said.
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