Redwoods burned by wildfire in southwest Oregon

SALEM – One of the last groves of Oregon redwoods was burned by the large wildfire that struck the Wheeler Creek Natural Area near Brookings.

The Statesman Journal reported there are only a few groves of naturally occurring redwoods remaining within Oregon, located mostly in small patches just north of the California state line.

The Wheeler Creek redwoods are located in a 600-acre preserve in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

The U.S. Forest Service said last week that the wildfire torched 25 percent of the area’s old-growth redwoods. The fire burned only lightly through the understory of the other 75 percent of the natural area.