| |
Human Impact
| |
|
|
This giant sequoia was felled in 1950 because it leaned over a
cabin, threatening visitor safety.
© NPS photo Athena Demetry.
|
|
|
|
Human Safety
Large, old trees may contain rot at their bases or other defects
that increase their probability of falling and endangering human
safety and property. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
conduct a hazard tree surveillance and mitigation program to
protect human safety and property in developed areas.
Today, removing monarch giant sequoias that pose a safety hazard
isn’t acceptable. This wasn’t always the case. In 1950, an 18-
foot-diameter, 240-foot-tall sequoia leaning over cabins in the
Lodge area was felled to protect human safety; in 1966, a second
leaning, mature sequoia was felled near Beetle Rock. In more
recent years, leaning sequoias located in pockets where root rot
was present in surrounding trees were identified as hazards, but
threatened structures were closed rather than felling the tree.
Hazards to human safety are still present despite efforts to
identify hazards. In 1969 an elderly woman died while picnicking
in the Hazelwood area when a 240-foot-tall sequoia tree fell
against another sequoia, toppling the upper 130 feet of the
second tree onto her picnic table. The Hazelwood Picnic Area was
closed after this incident.
|
|
