Historic Oregon tree defies flames, still standing after days of fire

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — One of the tallest and oldest trees in the world continues to burn in Oregon after it a fire was first reported Aug. 16, but even after at least five days of continuously burning, the tree may not be lost yet.

“Firefighters and foresters have looked at the drone footage of the tree and, while fire has touched the tree from top to bottom, they are seeing that most of the Doerner Fir is still intact at this point,” said Megan Harper, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management.

The Doerner Fir is 325 feet tall and has a diameter of 11.5 feet. Harper said trees as large as this often survive fires.

“The Doerner Fir has thick bark and so much woody material inside that it takes quite some time for a fire to completely burn through the tree and/or weaken it to the point of it falling over,” she said. “This tree has also not been subject to a long duration, high intensity fire thus far that would compromise its structure.”

Recently, fire officials from the Bureau of Land Management and Coos Forest Protective Association have been focused on fighting the flames located inside a cavity about 280 feet high on the tree’s trunk.

They are also working with arborists, including one who has previously climbed the tree, to discuss options for cooling the fire near the top of the tree. Firefighters are also continuing to manage the base of the tree to prevent any potential spread.

Investigators looked at recent weather data to rule out lightning as a potential cause, but they are still not sure what sparked the flames.

Protesters, known as tree sitters, have long been known to frequent Oregon forests and camp out in tall trees to disrupt logging operations. A BLM spokesperson said this practice is more common in Southern Oregon’s Medford District, and they are not aware of any protesters near the Doerner Fir this summer.