• Giant Sequoia Trees

    Sequoia & Kings Canyon

    National Parks California

  • Road Construction Delays in Sequoia NP through Mid-Aug. (if entering/exiting via Hwy. 198)

    Expect 20-minute to 1-hour delays on weekdays and 20-minute delays on weekends along main road through parks. Weeknight closures with one pass through the construction zone at 11:30 p.m. See link to schedule and map or call 559-565-3341 (press 1, 1, 1,). More »

  • 22-foot Vehicle Length Limit in Sequoia National Park

    Planning to see the "Big Trees" in Sequoia National Park? If you enter/exit via Hwy. 198, all vehicles must be less than 22 feet in length. Even vehicles towing trailers must be less than 22 feet in combined length. Longer vehicles must enter at Hwy. 180. More »

  • Road Conditions in the Parks

    For the latest road and weather conditions, call 559-565-3341 (press 1, 1, 1) More »

Fire History of Lodgepole Pine on Chagoopa Plateau

Fire History of Lodgepole Pine on Chagoopa Plateau, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
Anthony C. Caprio, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271, USA; ph: (559) 565-3126; email: e-mail us.

Information on the role of pre-20th century fire in lodgepole-pine forests of the southern Sierra Nevada is limited. To answer questions about changes in fire regimes with Euro-American settlement, fire occurrence patterns were reconstructed from a series of sites across Chagoopa Plateau in predominantly lodgepole-pine forest with interspered meadows. Temporal and spatial patterns of past fires were compared among 17 sites, particularly the relative differences between meadow and non-meadow sites. Thirteen fire dates were recorded between 1549 and 2000. Before 1860, fire events showed mixed degrees of synchronization among sites with widespread fires in 1751, 1815, and 1846, while other dates were recorded only at single locations. Of particular interest, was a cluster of 1880s fire dates at some meadow sites, suggesting the influence of Euro-American shepherds.

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Did You Know?

Sequoia cross-section shows evidence of much fire damage and recovery

Sequoia tree rings tell a fascinating story of survival and adaptation. Many sequoia cross-sections do not show a neat set of concentric growth rings. Among the rings are many scars — indicating repeated fire damage — and as many curved rings, the growth that eventually covered over the scars.