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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: Oregon’s iconic Doerner Fir, once the world’s tallest known Douglas fir at 327 feet, caught fire last week under mysterious circumstances
• A team of expert arborists, including Damien Carré, undertook a daring climb to extinguish smoldering flames deep inside the tree’s upper cavity, after aerial efforts failed
• Investigators have ruled out lightning, raising concerns about possible human involvement
🔭 The context: Douglas firs have long symbolized the Pacific Northwest, serving as vital timber resources and cultural icons
• The Doerner Fir, located in a remote coastal forest, was first nominated as a champion tree in 1991. In 2008, it was officially measured and crowned the tallest known Douglas fir
• The loss of its top 50 feet in the recent fire has cost it that title, while its survival remains a critical concern for conservationists and arborists alike
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Old-growth trees like the Doerner Fir are vital carbon sinks, biodiversity hubs, and climate stabilizers
• The potential arson of such a tree underscores the increasing threats — both environmental and human — to legacy forests
• Protecting these remaining giants is essential to climate mitigation strategies and ecological resilience in a region already facing pressures from logging, wildfires, and development
⏭️ What's next: While fire crews believe the blaze has been fully extinguished, investigators are continuing to search for evidence regarding its cause
• Arborists suggest the fire likely started at the base, not the canopy, further supporting suspicions of human involvement
• Oregon’s big-tree hunters are preparing to identify and measure other towering Douglas firs, as the loss of the Doerner Fir’s crown reopens the competition for tallest of the species
💬 One quote: “After spraying the living bejesus out of the inside of it, I think it’s good… We think we got the fire out.” – Damien Carré, arborist
📈 One stat: The Doerner Fir, estimated to be 350–450 years old, lost approximately 50 feet of dead wood in the blaze — costing it its status as the tallest known Douglas fir
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