A recap of the 2020 SQF Complex / Castle Fire one year later, including impact summaries for every grove. Plus, new fires in the sequoias.
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Dillonwood after the Castle Fire California
Thousands of Dillonwood sequoias were destroyed by the Castle Fire. However, most of the damage is out of sight of the casual visitor.

Mountain Home Castle Fire Update California
Methuselah and Oliver Twist unharmed, Genesis and Three-Fingered Jack heavily damaged, and other Castle Fire updates from Mountain Home Grove.

Mountain Home after the Castle Fire Photo Gallery
Mountain Home sequoia grove after the 2020 SQF Complex / Castle Fire.

Whitethorn – Another Giant Sequoia Burning in the Castle Fire California
Another fantastic giant sequoia burning in Alder Creek Grove on June 18th, 2021, nine months “after” the Castle Fire.

Board Camp Grove After the Castle Fire California
Board Camp Grove was damaged by the Castle Fire, but robust sequoia seedlings and surviving giants reveal vigorous natural recovery underway.

Waterwell – A Giant Sequoia Destroyed by the Castle Fire California
Before and after aerial footage of Waterwell, a giant sequoia destroyed by the SQF Complex / Castle Fire.

McIntyre Grove (Belknap) – Nelson Trail After the Castle Fire California
Photos of McIntyre Grove from the Nelson Trail, during/after the SQF Complex / Castle Fire.

Freeman Creek Grove during the Castle Fire California
Freeman Creek Trail still green despite damage, while the southern section is a moonscape of dead sequoias.

Alder Creek Giant Actively Burning Two Months “after” the Castle Fire California
Alder Creek Grove giant actively on fire, in flames two months after the SQF Complex / Castle Fire.

Patriarch Tree Destroyed in the Castle Fire California
The famous Patriarch Tree and most of McIntyre Grove perished in the Castle Fire. Before and after photos of several giant sequoias.

Alder Creek Grove after the SQF Complex / Castle Fire – October 28, 2020 California
All giant sequoia are dead in the western section of Alder Creek Grove.

Alder Creek Grove after the SQF Complex / Castle Fire – October 27, 2020 California
Post-fire sequoias in an eastern section of Alder Creek Grove.

Alder Creek Grove (and Sequoia Crest) “After” the Castle Fire – October 11-16, 2020 California
Countless giant sequoias were killed by the SQF Complex / Castle Fire. Sequoia Crest burned down. A personal account of the loss.

Mariposa Grove is on Fire – The Most “Managed” Sequoia Grove of All California
Mariposa Grove has a long history of being managed. Millions of dollars were spent cutting and burning the forest in 2018. Yet, it’s on fire anyway.

Sequoia National Park after the KNP Fire California
A drive through Sequoia National Park after the KNP Complex Fire showing the damage in Redwood Mountain Grove and Suwanee Grove.

Sequoia Loss in the 2021 Windy and KNP Complex Fires California
Thousands of giant sequoias perished in the 2021 Windy and KNP Complex fires. Combined with the Castle Fire last year, the immensity of this loss is impossible to fathom. The sequoias are harbingers of our planet’s destruction. Updated: October 30, 2022.

Windy Fire and KNP Complex Burning 22 Sequoia Groves and Counting
The Windy Fire and KNP Complex Fire continue the tree apocalypse of our time. Updated: October 4, 2021.

Even After Snow, the Fire Continues California
Giant sequoias are still burning several months after the SQF Complex / Castle Fire.

Alder Creek Grove Aerial Video After Fire California
Video of Alder Creek Grove after scores of sequoias die in the SQF Complex / Castle Fire.

Giant Sequoias on Fire in the Alder Creek Grove California
Giant sequoias continue to burn and die three months “after” in the SQF Complex / Castle Fire.

Sequoia Groves Under Siege by Logging California
Numerous sequoia groves have been recently logged or are currently being destroyed by active (and illegal) logging. In most cases the groves are being re-logged, thereby putting them back into the compromised condition they were in prior to recent fires.

Board Camp Grove’s Sequoia Seedlings and Living Trees California
Board Camp Grove is flourishing with robust sequoia seedlings and natural recovery. Sequoia forests are designed to burn, even severely, and don’t need our “help.”

The Winter I Got Stuck in a Sequoia Grove
How a Naturalist Found Herself Snowed in with the World’s Biggest Trees

Spotted Owls in a Giant Sequoia California
While hiking from tree to tree in a wilderness grove hardly anyone ever sees, I came across two spotted owls, a parent and baby, high up in a sequoia cavity.

Looking for a New Home California
I lost my home in the Castle Fire and still haven’t found a new one. If there’s anyone out there who knows of a quiet forest or is looking for a nature preservationist…

My National Geographic Poster of Sequoias California
Nat Geo asked me to shoot for the May 2022 issue. The result: gatefold poster of giant sequoias in the aftermath of the Castle Fire.

Sequoia National Park Announces Plans to Create a Tree Plantation in the Wilderness California
NPS plans to conduct a tree planting experiment in the Board Camp sequoia grove (in the John Krebs Wilderness), including cutting and helicoptering in foreign seed.

Great Bonsai Drops and Burns in Mountain Home California
The famous giant sequoia named Great Bonsai dropped its massive limbs to the ground, revealing that it had been burning on the inside for nearly an entire year since being killed by the 2020 Castle Fire.

Save the Redwoods League is Logging Alder Creek Grove California
Save the Redwoods League is clear cutting the forest. Updated: August 5, 2021.