450-Year-Old Doerner Fir, One Of World's Tallest Trees, Burning In Oregon

One of the world's tallest and oldest trees has been burning for several days as firefighters race to preserve it. Oregon's Doerner Fir, a 450-year-old Douglas fir towering more than 325 feet, caught fire on August 17 and has since lost between 50 and 70 feet from its crown.

The blaze is confined to the tree itself but has proven difficult to control due to its immense height and falling debris.

Brett Weidemiller, assistant unit forester with the Coos Forest Protective Association, said helicopters, drones, and ground-based sprinklers are being used to cool the fire, according to USA Today.

The cause of the blaze has not been determined, but investigators have ruled out lightning.

The Doerner Fir, also known as the Coquille Tree, is located in Oregon's Coast Range Mountains near Coquille. With a trunk measuring 11.5 feet across, it is among the tallest non-redwood trees in the world and a popular destination for hikers. The trail leading to it is now closed.

Historical measurements suggest it may once have reached 339 feet in height. It was originally known as the Brummitt Fir, named after the nearby drainage, and later renamed in honour of Ray Doerner, a longtime local BLM official.

Megan Harper, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management, said the fire has permanently reduced the tree's height. "We've lost about 50 feet of it, just from fire and pieces falling out," she told the BBC. She said the blaze is unlikely to consume the tree entirely. "The tree is so big, it's got so much mass that it would take a while for it to burn all the way through the tree."

As a coastal Douglas fir, it is among a species capable of reaching 100-120 m in height and diameters up to 5.5 m, occasionally living centuries or even over a millennium.