Redwoods Survive Wildfire at California’s Oldest State Park

Fire burns in the hollow of an old-growth redwood tree in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Calif., on Aug. 24, 2020. Marcio Jose Sanchez via AP Photo

BOULDER CREEK, Calif.—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, some of them 2,000 years old and among the tallest living things on Earth, may finally have succumbed.

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.