Wildfires threaten world-famous California national park and General Sherman tree

A wildfire in Sequoia National Forest in August 2021. Now the fires in the area are threatening the state's sequoia and redwood trees

There are worries over the future of a world famous National Park because of wildfires.

Wildfires in the US state of California are covering over 7000 acres of land and are burning about a mile away from the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park.

National parks are an area of countryside protected by a nation's government. They can be chosen because people think it's a beautiful place, or because of its historical or scientific interest.

The forest in California is home to sequoia trees, including the largest tree on Earth called General Sherman.

More than 350 firefighters are tackling the blaze, with more reinforcements on the way. All park employees have been evacuated from the park and so too have residents from local near by towns.

What is the General Sherman?

The Sequoia National Park is home to the biggest tree in the world, General Sherman

General Sherman is a giant sequoia tree located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, in California.

By volume, it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth and is estimated to be around 2,300 to 2,700 years old.

The General Sherman was named after the American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman.

It is believed to be the largest currently living tree, but it's is not the largest recorded tree in history.

The Crannell Creek Giant, a coast redwood is estimated to have been 15-25% larger than the General Sherman tree by volume but it was cut down in the mid-1940s near Trinidad, California.

Why is it happening?

The fires were started by lightning strikes on 10 September and have been getting gradually bigger since because of the flammable dry timber, shrubs, bushes, and small trees.

There are worries that the continued dry conditions and 25 mph winds may help the fire continue to grow in the coming days.

More than 7,400 wildfires have burned in California this year, scorching more than 2.2 million acres.

This is thought to be because of higher temperatures and extreme drought conditions.

What happens next?

The ruins of a cabin that was destroyed when a firestorm swept through upper Slick Rock Canyon

Sequoia trees are very fire resilient and have evolved to thrive in fire conditions.

Their spongy red bark has adapted to protect them from the heat, while their seed-carrying cones rely on flames to open, and fires can help clear the undergrowth to create space for seedlings.

However, as the fires become more extreme, they can devastate the tree's defences, especially those already weakened by drought, disease and insect infestation.

There is hope that the sequoia trees will be able to re-grow even if they are burned down.

Giant sequoias are very similar to slender redwood trees that grow along the northern California coast and have the same relationship with fire.

The redwoods are also being tested by the bigger fires, but after wildfires caused significant damage in 2020, there are promising signs that they are re-growing.