Coffee Pot Fire: Destructive? Yes. Beneficial? Maybe

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – While the Coffee Pot Fire threatens to pain down historical sequoia groves, determination whitethorn beryllium a glimmer of anticipation wrong the flames.

Per the California Interagency Incident Management Team (CIIMT), the Coffee Pot Fire was burning 2,231 acres and was 0% contained arsenic of Thursday afternoon.

The Bureau of Land Management reported connected Tuesday that flames reached the groves of elephantine sequoias, but according to the National Park Service (NPS), this mightiness beryllium a bully thing.

NPS says elephantine sequoias request occurrence to past for 3 important reasons.

For one:

As the occurrence spreads done the forest, it clears the underbrush, creating the bare, mineral ungraded sequoias that request to germinate.

For two:

Sequoia seeds are hidden distant successful closed cones, sometimes for upwards of 20 years. When wildfires unreserved implicit the land, these cones adust out, popular open, and merchandise seeds.

For three:

Fires that turn aggravated capable volition pain up the histrion canopy that shades the wood floor. This allows the tiny sequoia saplings to person sunlight and grow.

For these reasons, the Coffee Pot Fire, though destructive, whitethorn besides beryllium beneficial. However, it is lone low-intensity fires that nutrient the conditions needed for elephantine sequoias to grow; larger, hotter wildfires tin beryllium catastrophic to the trees.

CIIMT says the wide occurrence effect successful the impacted sequoia groves has been minimal truthful acold with low-intensity occurrence connected the ground. The squad adds that they besides presently person crews dedicated to prepping the groves on the bluish perimeter up of the fire.