Fuel conditions and fire hazard reduction costs in a giant sequoia forest

In Recent Periods as long as 100 years, the groves of giant sequoia have been protected from destructive forces—including the fires which were once an integral part of their environment. There is today a growing concern that such protection, while of vital importance, is not of itself an adequate substitute for natural habitat conditions. Plant successions are changing conditions within the groves; the understory shade-tolerant trees, chiefly white fir, are increasing in number; and large amounts of debris are accumulating.