Young stands of mountain ash trees — which are not expected to burn because they have minimal foliage — have burned in the Australian Alps, the highest mountain range on the continent. Mountain ash, the world's tallest flowering trees, reach heights of almost 90 meters (300 feet) and live hundreds of years. Bassett plans to send out teams to climb trees in parts of Victoria that did not burn to harvest seed pods. Fire is a normal part of an ash forest life cycle, clearing out older stands to make way for new growth. “If a young ash forest is burned and killed and we can’t resow it, then it is lost," Bassett said.

Source: New York Times January 19, 2020 03:00 UTC