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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 up to six sequoia groves and a proposed fisher critical habitat corridor should area-wide field survey data show insufficient natural regeneration in these areas 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) is concerned that natural regeneration may not be sufficient to support self-sustaining groves into the future, particularly as the fires killed an unprecedented number of reproductive sequoia trees in the groves themselves. If regeneration is not sufficient, 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). 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.
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. Scoping materials for two public scoping periods and the original EA that was shared with the public for review in July 2023 are also available here.
Because the decision tree within the selected alternative inherently dictates that future, tiered decisions with regards to implementation will be needed (i.e., to implement planting or implement monitoring, alone), the NPS will be sharing regeneration data from each area and the findings of each area's decision tree on this website and will do so prior to implementation if the decision tree indicates planting is needed. Some of this information has already been, and will continue to be, posted via the "Document List" link on the left-hand side of this page.
As of October 5, 2023, the NPS is planning the following within each of the 7 areas considered for planting within this plan:
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 has therefore been developed and additional compliance and consultations have been completed. Planting is expected to begin October 18, 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 has therefore been developed and additional compliance and consultations have been completed. Planting is expected to begin October 18, 2023.
Suwanee Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration are being evaluated.
New Oriole Lake Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration are being evaluated.
Homer's Nose Grove: Field surveys are planned for fall 2023.
Dillonwood Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration are being evaluated.
Additional information about the proposed action can be accessed via the "Document List" link on the left-hand side of this page.
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). 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.
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. Scoping materials for two public scoping periods and the original EA that was shared with the public for review in July 2023 are also available here.
Because the decision tree within the selected alternative inherently dictates that future, tiered decisions with regards to implementation will be needed (i.e., to implement planting or implement monitoring, alone), the NPS will be sharing regeneration data from each area and the findings of each area's decision tree on this website and will do so prior to implementation if the decision tree indicates planting is needed. Some of this information has already been, and will continue to be, posted via the "Document List" link on the left-hand side of this page.
As of October 5, 2023, the NPS is planning the following within each of the 7 areas considered for planting within this plan:
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 has therefore been developed and additional compliance and consultations have been completed. Planting is expected to begin October 18, 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 has therefore been developed and additional compliance and consultations have been completed. Planting is expected to begin October 18, 2023.
Suwanee Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration are being evaluated.
New Oriole Lake Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2022 and 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration are being evaluated.
Homer's Nose Grove: Field surveys are planned for fall 2023.
Dillonwood Grove: Field surveys were completed in 2023 and mortality rates and natural regeneration are being evaluated.
Additional information about the proposed action can be accessed via the "Document List" link on the left-hand side of this page.