Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Sequoia National Park in California is home to some of the oldest and largest living things on Earth. Giant sequoia trees can grow to 300 feet tall and live for thousands of years. The sequoias in the park have survived dozens of forest fires over their long lifetimes. Recently, however, extreme heat, wildfires, and droughts have killed many of the treasured trees and prevented new ones from growing. Listen to hear how climate change is threatening the future of giant sequoias, and learn what people are doing to protect them.
Story Length: 4:27
Socrative users can import these questions using the following code: SOC-1234
April 14, 2021
2:25
The residents of Vancouver, Washington have said goodbye to a beloved old friend: a 194-year-old apple tree. The state of Washington produces more apples than anywhere else in the country, and the old apple tree was widely considered the “mother” of the apple industry there. Residents protected her when city planners threatened to chop her down and celebrated her life at an annual festival. Listen to learn who planted the apple seeds that grew into the famous tree and why she has so many descendants.
Read MoreSeptember 23, 2019
3:37
The Arctic may seem like an unlikely place for fires, but every year wildfires burn millions of acres of forest in Alaska, northern Canada, and Siberia. This century, the blazes have grown bigger, hotter, and more frequent, causing health problems for local residents and releasing harmful greenhouse gases into the environment. Listen to hear a climate scientist describe the effects of wildfires in the Arctic and how the global community can respond.
Read MoreSeptember 9, 2019
4:09
Fires are raging in the Amazon rainforest at an unusually high rate. The flames are destroying hundreds of acres of forest, killing wildlife, and spreading smoke across thousands of miles. Scientists are concerned that, since trees take in carbon dioxide from the air, the loss of so much forest could speed up climate change. Some environmentalists argue that this is a man-made disaster, caused by intentional deforestation. Listen to learn more about the enormous scale of the fires burning in the Amazon rainforest and the ongoing debate about who is responsible.
Read MoreAugust 20, 2018
3:20
The largest fire in California history is currently burning, breaking a record that another devastating fire set a mere eight months ago. Scientists, politicians, and firefighters are currently searching for a better way to handle these increasingly intense natural disasters. Listen to learn about some of their surprising solutions for wildfires.
Read More