BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (AP) — When a massive wildfire swept through California’s oldest state park last week, it was feared many trees in a grove of old-growth redwoods may have finally succumbed.
Some of the state’s redwoods are around 2,000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth.
But an Associated Press reporter and photographer hiked the renowned Redwood Trail at Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Monday and confirmed most of the ancient redwoods had withstood the blaze.
Among the survivors is one dubbed Mother of the Forest.
Most of the redwoods may have been spared, but the historic park headquarters was not. It and many small structures were destroyed by the blazes.
The fire is still burning in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco.
Laura McLendon, conservation director for the Sempervirens Fund, told The Associated Press that a great deal of work will need to be done to rebuild campground, clear trails and manage damaged trees, but Big Basin will recover.