Replanting forests after severe wildfires faces huge obstacles
Forests are burning more often and especially intense and hot, which can destroy seeds that normally survive fire, harden the ground like concrete and leave barren slopes susceptible to washing away in rainstorms, polluting waterways. … In California’s Sierra Nevada, where up to 20% of the world’s mature giant sequoias and their seeds have been killed by fire in recent years, there are massive openings without seedlings. A U.S. Geological Survey study concluded some groves will never recover without replanting. But researchers say the odds of forests growing back will worsen regardless of fire intensity because of more heat and drought. That means burned forest could convert to shrubland and grassland, leading to loss of snowpack that provides drinking water and helps irrigate crops.
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