National Geographic - UK (2022-05)

NEVADA

KEITH LADZINSKI

A pale moon shines
through the skeletons
of bristlecone pines 21
years after a wildfire—
made rare and more
intense by years of fire
suppression—ripped
through 1,650 acres

here in 2000. Some

bristlecones are

about 5,000 years

old, making them the

longest-lived indi-

vidual organisms on

Earth. Seedlings have

sprouted among the

dead, offering hope

that this species might

be one of the best

equipped to endure

a warming climate.

GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK

HOW THESE ANCIENT

TREES COULD WEATHER

CLIMATE CHANGE