California firefighters wrap aluminium blankets around Giant Sequoia trees to protect them against wildfires

General Sherman, the largest tree in the world is being covered with a huge aluminium sheet to protect it from the dangerous wildfire in the jungles of California. Located in the giant forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, in the U.S. state of California General Sherman also known as the Giant Sequoia or Sierran redwood belongs to the redwood species which is endemic to California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The Giant Sequoia is one of the largest trees in the world with an average height of about 80 metres, with the trunk measuring around 7 to 8 metres in diameter. Around 2,000 species of the General Sherman tree can be found in the National Park. The ragging wildlife has made the park officials worried about the protection of the largest tree in the world.

The largest tree in the park nicknamed General Sherman is about 83 metres tall and is believed to be 2,500 years old. Under the ICUN’s red, this tree is classified as endangered.

Around 300 firefighters have been assigned to protect the world’s biggest tree from the raging wildfire. According to the sources, the bases of many Sequoia trees as well as General Sherman have been already wrapped with aluminium foil to protect them from the fire.

The decision was taken after the 2020 wildfire which destroyed thousands of Sequoia trees and other age-old trees which were an asset for the national park. Sequoia trees are known for resisting fire and live for thousands of years. But with the recent number of increasing wildfires, the officials are worried about the tree’s ability to withstand the fires.

The United States Federal officials have been using aluminium sheets for many years throughout the western part of the country.