Fire Recovery at Big Basin — July 2021 Update

In the spring I reported here on redwood bole sprouts that were turning brown and dying. I expressed a fear that the ongoing drought might kill many of these sprouting redwoods. Two months later I can see that this fear was unwarranted. Although brown sprouts can still be found on some trees, there are invariably numerous larger green sprouts on the same bole.

Also of interest was the observation that many of the redwoods in the extreme burn area that looked like dead black sticks after the fire have now produced sprouts along their boles and will likely survive. It took 10 months for these sprouts to appear which suggests to me that many redwood root systems and their mycorrhizal partners survived the fire but needed time to reorganize. The park is looking much greener now than it did even two months ago.

Almost all of the terrestrial wildlife that couldn’t flee the park were killed by the fire. Some species are slowly starting to return to the park. Animals I’ve detected are: bat spp., mountain lion (calls heard after dark), and western gray squirrel. Birds are more common than other wildlife, probably because they are so mobile. Birds commonly seen: dark-eyed junco, Steller’s jay, common raven, hermit thrush, brown creeper, acorn woodpecker, and wild turkey (one call heard once). No hawks or owls were detected and they are reported to be very scarce or absent in the park.

—Steve Singer, Forest Biologist, July 18, 2021