Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/576403
ByScottSmith TheAssociatedPress SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK Giant Sequoias growing in California's Sierra Ne- vada are among the largest and oldest living things on earth, but scientists climb- ing high up into their green canopies say they are see- ing symptoms of stress caused by the state's his- toric drought. Patches of brown, dead foliage are appearing more than in past years, say re- searchers studying the iconic trees, which only grow naturally in the Sierra Nevada. By taking stock of groves that are most vul- nerable, scientists say they can better manage the for- est through the hotter, drier droughts expected in the future. "They're beautiful, ma- jestic trees," said Koren Nydick, a National Park Service ecologist and part of the research team fo- cused on the treasured trees. "People come from all over the world to see the Gi- ant Sequoias." Some living more than 3,000 years, Giant Sequoias grow to nearly 300 feet tall. There are other trees that live longer and some that grow taller, but research- ers say the Giant Sequoias are unique for their size and longevity. Roughly 75 distinct groves that grow mostly in the southern Sierra Nevada were critical to founding the Sequoia National Park 120 years ago. They have endured past wildfires and droughts, but Nydick said this fourth year of drought in California is marked by a record-low snow pack and some of the hottest tem- peratures recorded in the park. The data they collect will be another important piece of information helping for- estry officials to identify which groves need to be thinned through prescribed burns to allow in more sun- light and give certain trees a larger share of the scarce underground water. Nydick said that a single tree can require up to 800 gallons a day. Anthony Ambrose, a tree biologist with the Univer- sity of California, Berkeley, hiked deep into the Giant Forest east of Visalia one day recently and dropped his heavy backpack stuffed with a climbing harness and 600 feet of rope. "I'll be climbing this tree," he said. Ambrose and his team collected foliage from 50 of the Giant Sequoias for test- ing and retrieved gauges they installed weeks ear- lier from several of them to measure temperature and humidity. Within a few minutes, Ambrose had inched his way up the tree and out of view from the ground. "It's a really humbling ex- perience because you feel just so small in the face of this thing that's so big and so old," said Ambrose, not- ing an emotional tie he feels with the Giant Sequoias. "If there's some impacts from drought or climate change on the trees, we need to un- derstand that." Scientists will link infor- mation they have collected from the individual trees with field surveys done by U.S. Geological Survey re- searchers observing thou- sands more trees on foot and overhead images col- lected from a plane oper- ated by the Carnegie Air- borne Observatory. Combing their research, scientists say they'll be able to identify patterns of drought stress revealed in the trees. While the drought is taking its toll, Ambrose said it's not causing an ab- normally high numbers of Giant Sequoias to die, like millions of other conifers throughout the state. A massive wildfire this summer burning an hour's drive north of the study area had threatened to sweep through a grove home to the General Grant tree, one of the tallest Gi- ant Sequoias. Firefighters built fire lines and installed sprinklers to protect it, al- though the resilient trees evolved to resist fire. About one year into the study, USGS ecologist Adrian Das said research- ers are now taking data col- lected in the field into the laboratory to answer a key question. "Which parts of the Se- quoia groves should we be more worried about?" Das said. "Potentially, it's the Se- quoias telling us, 'Hey, these are the areas where we're more stressed.'" SIERRA NEVADA Sc ie nt is ts : Dr ou gh t st re ss in g Ca lif or ni a' s Gia nt S eq uo ia s By Heather Hoelscher hhoelscher@redbluffdaily- news.com on Twitter Steve Bayner, master hypnotist, will be per- forming his hypnotist show at the fair at 6 p.m. Friday, at 5:30 p.m. Sat- urday and at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Tehama District Fairground. "Hypnotizing people is something I love," said Bayner. Wherever he goes, Bayner always leaves them laughing and want- ing more. A few selected audi- ence members become the stars of the show. The remaining viewing au- dience is captivated by the show filled with im- promptu reactions and revealed hilarious tal- ents. You will not be dis- appointed. Each show has its own personality and humor, reflecting the uniqueness of the individuals in the audience. Make sure to see the Steve Bayner Hypnotist Show at the fair. ENTERTAINMENT Hypnotist Steve Bayner to perform COURTESYPHOTO Steve Bayner, master hypnotist, will be performing at the Tehama District Fair. RICH PEDRONCELLI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Wendy Baxter, a tree biologist from the University of California Berkeley, climbs a Giant Sequoia tree to retrieve a sensor that measures temperature and humidity, at Sequoia National Park near Visalia. he said. The only thing peo- ple can do to see less names on the list of those at memo- rials is to resolve to be bet- ter themselves. Both Gallagher and Nielsen have been vocal in their support of law enforce- ment this year and knowing that the men and women who are serving are out there working makes Galla- gher feel safer, he said. "Thank you for working on a tremendous, heartfelt project that hits close to home for this community," Gallagher said. Red Bluff Police Chief Kyle Sanders was the last speaker. "It's exciting for us to have a grand monument worthy of those who have fallen," Sanders said. "A big thank you to Anthony for his fan- tastic vision and that he did something with it. He was very dedicated and deter- mined." The list of those the mon- ument honors is as follows: TehamaCountySheriffJohn Bogard, Tehama County Sheriff'sConstableJohnDel- aney, CHP Lt. John Helmick and Officer Robert Quirk, Red Bluff Police Officer Da- vid Moblio and Corning Po- lice Officer Robert Hart. Memorial FROM PAGE 1 JULIE ZEEB — DAILY NEWS Anthony Aviles poses for a picture with his father, CHP Lt. 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