"Last week, General Sherman, California's most famous giant sequoia, got a checkup.
Climbers from the Ancient Forest Society scaled the tree looking for signs of a sequoia bark beetle infestation — entrance holes where adults had burrowed into the branches and laid their eggs; exit holes, where larvae chewed their way out; globules of pitch, indicating the tree was putting up a fight, trying to push the beetles out.
And, simply, whether Sherman's canopy looked healthy.
The beetles can kill a tree within a year, starting at the top and working their way down over several generations. Feeding on the cambium, they can interrupt the tree's ability to distribute water and nutrients. "
Jacob Margolis reports for LAist May 27, 2024.
SEE ALSO:
"Wildfires Threaten California Sequoias. Will A New Farm Bill Measure Actually Help?" (Sacramento Bee)
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article288...
"'Devastating': Tiny Insects Are Killing Giant Sequoias In California National Parks" (SFGate)
https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/bark-beetles-killing-gia...
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