Witness to Loss, Partner in Hope: Documenting Sequoia Mortality After the KNP Complex Fire
At Petersen Film Photo, we tell stories that change the world—sometimes those stories begin in ash and loss.
In 2021, the KNP Complex Fire swept through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, leaving behind a scarred and sobering landscape. Alongside the Windy Fire, it’s estimated that up to 3,600 mature giant sequoias were lost—an additional 5% of the global population. That devastation came just one year after the Castle Fire claimed more than 10% of the world’s remaining giants.
Our team was invited into the heart of the recovery effort to help document this moment in history. I had the honor of photographing and filming for the official Sequoia Mortality Reports led by the Sequoia Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service. One of my photos—taken in the hauntingly beautiful Redwood Canyon, deep in the Giant Sequoias—was featured alongside Superintendent Clay Jordan’s reflections in the official KNP Complex Fire Recovery Fund report.
Standing in Redwood Canyon, camera in hand, I felt what so many have described: a reverence for something much bigger than ourselves. To witness the loss of these trees, some thousands of years old, was overwhelming. But capturing that grief through imagery has also become a way to help tell a story that leads to hope.
As Superintendent Jordan wrote:
“Growing a mature sequoia tree, much like healing our changing climate, is not something that will come to fruition in our lifetime… Yet despite these challenges, I remain optimistic.”
Our role in this recovery was to help make visible what might otherwise be forgotten—to create visuals that could move the heart and inform the mind. These films and photos are part of a larger mission: to mobilize awareness, fundraising, and action for long-term restoration and stewardship.
This wasn’t just another assignment. It was an opportunity to use our craft for something sacred: preserving the legacy of one of Earth’s most extraordinary ecosystems.
We’re grateful to partner with organizations like Sequoia Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service to support their work, and we remain committed to telling stories that matter.
If you’re interested in learning more or supporting ongoing efforts, visit the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.
We tell stories that change the world.
From Clay Jordan, Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
TO LOVERS OF SEQUOIAS EVERYWHERE:
As Superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, I have had much to reflect upon over the past year. Growing a mature sequoia tree, much like healing our changing climate, is not something that will come to fruition in our lifetime. In fact, it will take generations for nature to return to what it once was.
The tragedy of the KNP Complex Fire is difficult to overstate. We estimate that, when combined with the Windy Fire, between 2,300 to 3,600 large sequoias, or another 3% to 5% of the world’s mature population, were lost in 2021. This is on top of the 7,500 to 10,600 large sequoias, or about 10% to 14%, lost in the 2020 Castle Fire. Parts of the landscape burned so intensely that it may be difficult for the natural cycle of forest regeneration to take place. The added pressures of storms, drought, and climate change further complicate our path to recovery.
Yet despite these challenges, I remain optimistic.
We know more about sequoias than ever before, and more importantly, we are able to reach, inspire, and engage people around the globe better than we ever have before. Your response to the fire is evidence of this support and investment in shared stewardship.
We are also better equipped to collaborate on recovery in the wake of a devastating fire. At the National Park Service, our priority is to address imminent safety concerns within the parks, so we rely on partners like Sequoia Parks Conservancy to support long-term recovery efforts that will see these ecosystems thrive again.
I will never forget the first time I stood among a grove of sequoias—that intense feeling of connection to life beyond our own. While the fire is certainly a setback, our charge has always been to keep this connection alive because connection to the natural world is part of the humanity that binds us all together.
Dedicated stewardship of these two special parks requires the actions of many people, and so I could not be more grateful for your support of these efforts to rebuild after the fire. On behalf of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, as well as the past and future stewards of these beloved sequoias, thank you for your support.
Clayton T. Jordan
CLAY JORDAN
Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
National Park Service
