Redwoods are made to survive fire, but they don't live alone in the forest
While California's redwood trees didn't completely escape the effects of 2020's huge wildfires, damage to the surrounding environment is a more pressing concern.
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Redwood trees are just one part of California's coastal forestlands.
James Martin/CNET
When four of the five largest wildfires in California's history were ablaze simultaneously late last summer, it certainly felt apocalyptic for the state's coastal redwoods.
Beyond burning more than 2 million acres and destroying thousands of homes and structures, the fires swept through pristine redwood groves, many with old-growth trees that had been standing before non-native settlers arrived on the West Coast hundreds of years ago. The images of flames climbing some of the largest and oldest living things on Earth were sobering, as was an assessment from state officials that Big Basin Redwoods, California's oldest state park, had been extensively damaged.