News Release

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Correct Misinformation Regarding Hazard Trees Along the Generals Highway

Date: October 26, 2021
Contact: Rebecca Paterson, [phone]

Reference Number: 8553-2139

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. October 25, 2021 – Information about the preliminary estimate of 10,000 hazard trees located along a portion of the Generals Highway has been reported widely since it was announced at a community meeting on October 21, and then reiterated in a subsequent news release. These trees have been widely, but incorrectly, reported to be giant sequoias, which has prompted the parks to issue this clarification.
 
There are many hazard trees, which were weakened, damaged, or killed by the KNP Complex, along park roads. Between Grant Grove and Lodgepole, preliminary estimates from last week indicate that that there are as many as 10,000 such hazard trees along this section of the Generals Highway. Hazard trees along other parts of the Generals Highway, and along other roads in the parks, also likely number in the thousands. These estimates will be refined in the coming weeks.
 
These hazard trees are located in mixed conifer woodlands, and include pine, fir, cedar, and other tree species. While there are likely sequoias among the hazard tree count in some areas, sequoias account for a small percentage of the total count. To be clear, the approximately 10,000 hazard trees that have been reported as targeted for removal because they threaten facilities and public safety are not, by and large, giant sequoias.
 
The parks are in the early stages of assessing fire effects within the footprint of the KNP Complex, with the help of a Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team. The parks expect to have more detailed data to report by mid-November. These preliminary estimates show the large scale of the work that must be done before the parks can responsibly restore a normal level of public access. 
 
While the parks intend to reduce these hazards, this doesn’t mean that all fire-compromised trees must be removed before roads can be reopened. The need to cut and remove trees will be determined area by area, and will vary based on how intensely each area burned, and other factors like slope in relationship to the roadway. Tree removal is being done with consideration of environmental impacts, including potential impacts to endangered species, and in accordance with law and policy. Future updates and news releases will document more specific information about the mitigation actions being taken to address these hazard trees, as well as other post-fire hazards in the parks. 

 - NPS -

About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
These two parks, which lie side by side in the southern Sierra Nevada in Central California, preserve prime examples of nature’s size, beauty, and diversity. Nearly 2 million visitors from across the U.S. and the world visit these parks to see the world’s largest trees (by volume), grand mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns, the highest point in the lower 48 states, and more. Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/seki.