Ground fires, in fact, are good for sequoia populations ... Michael Nichols photographed California’s giant redwoods for the October 2009 issue.

Meanwhile, the Sierra Nevada mountain range, home to the giant sequoias, captures significant amounts of snowmelt, ensuring a steady water supply even during California’s arid summers.

In 2021, as my crew worked to defend giant sequoias from the most destructive wildfire the trees had ... conditions that amplify its impacts. In California, for instance, this means transitioning ...