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Re-establish Tree Seedlings in Severely Burned Giant Sequoia Groves and Adjacent Fisher Habitat in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks » Re-establish Tree Seedlings in Severely Burned Giant Sequoia Groves and Adjacent Fisher Habitat in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks » Document List
The National Park Service (NPS) has decided to plant seedlings in five sequoia groves and a proposed fisher critical habitat corridor following the 2020 Castle and 2021 KNP Complex Wildfires. Large contiguous portions of these forests burned at high severity during recent fires, and the National Park Service (NPS) has determined that natural regeneration is not sufficient in portions of these groves to support self-sustaining groves into the future, particularly as the fires killed an unprecedented number of reproductive sequoia trees in the groves themselves. Given high mortality rates and low regeneration within these six areas, the NPS is furthermore concerned that these forests are susceptible to converting to a shrub-dominated community post-fire, which could have implications for forest recovery, wildlife habitat, and future fire behavior in these areas.
This decision follows the public release of the Re-establish Tree Seedlings in Severely Burned Giant Sequoia Groves and Adjacent Fisher Habitat Environmental Assessment and is documented via a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and additional analyses. Under the selected alternative outlined within the FONSI, the NPS will plant seedlings in areas only where area-wide field survey data shows insufficient natural regeneration for forests to successfully re-establish—pointing these groves and proposed critical habitat toward forest recovery—as they would have done naturally had they not experienced extensive severe fire effects during recent fires. So, while the NPS initially considered planting within six groves and an adjacent fisher habitat corridor as part of the FONSI, the NPS has now determined that planting is necessary in five of the six groves, as well as a proposed fisher critical habitat corridor, as outlined further below.
Redwood Mountain Grove and adjacent proposed fisher critical habitat corridor: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias within the Grove; regeneration is also very low in the adjacent proposed fisher critical habitat corridor. A planting plan was developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting occurred in October 2023.
Board Camp Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting occurred in October 2023.
Suwanee Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration were evaluated. The NPS additionally completed a patch analysis of mortality and found less than 10% of the entire grove is outside the likely seed rain zone. "In such cases, regeneration failure should be less likely to lead to permanent loss of grove area, as existing seed trees remain as a source of replenishment after future fires—so long as those fires are in keeping with the heterogeneous, mixed-severity fire regimes within which giant sequoias evolved" (Soderberg et al. 2024, 12). Based on these field surveys and findings—namely, that sufficient large sequoias are still alive and the majority of the grove area is within the seed rain of these remaining live trees, the NPS has determined that Suwanee Grove is at low risk of losing a large portion of the grove due to regeneration failure. Therefore, planting of nursery grown giant sequoia seedlings is not necessary to prevent type conversion and preserve this grove. The purpose and need of the EA can be met without further action.
New Oriole Lake Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting is planned for mid to late October 2024.
Homer's Nose Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting is planned for mid to late October 2024.
Dillonwood Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting is planned for mid to late October 2024.
The FONSI, along with a revised EA and response to public comments, can be accessed via the "Document List" link on the left-hand side of this page as well as scoping materials for two public scoping periods and the original EA that was shared with the public for review in July 2023. Finally, regeneration data from each area and the findings of each area's decision tree are also available in this location.
This decision follows the public release of the Re-establish Tree Seedlings in Severely Burned Giant Sequoia Groves and Adjacent Fisher Habitat Environmental Assessment and is documented via a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and additional analyses. Under the selected alternative outlined within the FONSI, the NPS will plant seedlings in areas only where area-wide field survey data shows insufficient natural regeneration for forests to successfully re-establish—pointing these groves and proposed critical habitat toward forest recovery—as they would have done naturally had they not experienced extensive severe fire effects during recent fires. So, while the NPS initially considered planting within six groves and an adjacent fisher habitat corridor as part of the FONSI, the NPS has now determined that planting is necessary in five of the six groves, as well as a proposed fisher critical habitat corridor, as outlined further below.
Redwood Mountain Grove and adjacent proposed fisher critical habitat corridor: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias within the Grove; regeneration is also very low in the adjacent proposed fisher critical habitat corridor. A planting plan was developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting occurred in October 2023.
Board Camp Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting occurred in October 2023.
Suwanee Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration were evaluated. The NPS additionally completed a patch analysis of mortality and found less than 10% of the entire grove is outside the likely seed rain zone. "In such cases, regeneration failure should be less likely to lead to permanent loss of grove area, as existing seed trees remain as a source of replenishment after future fires—so long as those fires are in keeping with the heterogeneous, mixed-severity fire regimes within which giant sequoias evolved" (Soderberg et al. 2024, 12). Based on these field surveys and findings—namely, that sufficient large sequoias are still alive and the majority of the grove area is within the seed rain of these remaining live trees, the NPS has determined that Suwanee Grove is at low risk of losing a large portion of the grove due to regeneration failure. Therefore, planting of nursery grown giant sequoia seedlings is not necessary to prevent type conversion and preserve this grove. The purpose and need of the EA can be met without further action.
New Oriole Lake Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting is planned for mid to late October 2024.
Homer's Nose Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting is planned for mid to late October 2024.
Dillonwood Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2023 and indicate that natural regeneration is likely insufficient to support a self-sustaining population of sequoias. A planting plan was therefore developed and additional compliance and consultations were completed. Planting is planned for mid to late October 2024.
The FONSI, along with a revised EA and response to public comments, can be accessed via the "Document List" link on the left-hand side of this page as well as scoping materials for two public scoping periods and the original EA that was shared with the public for review in July 2023. Finally, regeneration data from each area and the findings of each area's decision tree are also available in this location.