With treasured forests perennially threatened by fierce wildfires, many experts say it’s time to cut and burn protectively. A lawsuit is standing in the way.
The authorities in Yosemite National Park are hopeful that a sprinkler system can save the Grizzly Giant, a more than 200-foot-tall sequoia that dates back at least 2,000 years.
The most popular state for tourism in the U.S. endured record wildfires, drought and flooding just this year. “The rate of change has been so dramatic,” says one local scientist. “If I was the California tourism industry, I’d be really worried.”
