One of the World’s Tallest, Oldest Trees Is Ablaze in Oregon

The Doerner Fir, one of the world’s tallest coastal Douglas-fir trees, has stood within the remote forest of the Oregon Coast Range mountains for at least 450 years. On Saturday, August 16, officials received reports that this historic giant was engulfed in flames.

Firefighters rushed to the scene, deploying drones, aircraft, and hand crews in an attempt to extinguish the 325-foot-tall (99-meter-tall), 11.5-foot-wide (3.5-meter-wide) tree, the Los Angeles Times reports. When the Coos County Forest Protective Association first alerted the public to the fire on Sunday, August 17, it reported flames at the top of the tree extending down the trunk. Over the past week, crews have kept the blaze from spreading across the dense surrounding forest but have struggled to put it out.

In an update on Thursday, August 21, Coos FPA said it was working with arborists to extinguish remaining portions of the trunk that were holding heat near the top. “Firefighters will remain on scene to ensure the fire doesn’t flare up again, and fire lines are in place around the tree, however no burning debris has fallen or threatened the line,” the update reads.

As of Tuesday, August 19, about 50 feet (15 meters) from the top of the Doerner Fir had been lost, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) spokesperson Megan Harper told the Associated Press. Though this may threaten its standing as one of the world’s tallest firs, the tree will likely survive the fire, Harper said at the time.

Still, the clock is ticking to extinguish the blaze as the weather warms toward the weekend. Coos FPA stated that additional drone flights will search for hot spots with infrared technology, and more resources—including a helicopter—will remain available to respond if the fire ramps up. The BLM land surrounding the Doerner Fir will be closed to the public while firefighting efforts continue, according to Coos FPA.

BLM officials are still investigating the cause of the fire and have ruled out lightning based on weather data. Forest fires are historically rare in the Oregon Coast Range, occurring once every 200 to several hundred years in any given stand, according to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. The fact that this fire happened at all—and just so happened to affect one of the state’s most famous trees—is “a very unique situation,” Harper told the LA Times.

“I think everyone would be super disheartened to learn that maybe it would be human-caused,” she said.

While the fire’s exact cause remains unknown, persistent drought conditions and above-average summer temperatures may have helped the fire spread along the massive Doerner Fir. As climate change exacerbates these conditions throughout the American West, the nation’s largest, oldest trees face a growing threat. Many of these trees have survived centuries of environmental change, but human-driven warming presents an unprecedented challenge.