Recently, the management board of Redwood National Park, California has made an official statement that any visitor who approaches the Hyperion tree could face a six-month prison sentence and a fine of up to $5,000 (more than 110,000 million VND).
Hyperion is now located deep in the park's woods and has no trails leading to it, as the surrounding natural environment has been severely affected by the surge in visitors since 2006, when the giant sequoia was accidentally discovered by two naturalists.
The natural environment surrounding the Hyperion tree was severely affected. Photo: One Tree Planet
A coast redwood (sequoia sempervirens), Hyperion stands 115.92 meters tall and its name comes from Greek mythology - Hyperion was one of the Titans and father of the sun god Helios and the moon goddess Selene.
"Hyperion is off-trail through dense vegetation and it takes a lot of time to reach the tree. However, despite this difficult journey, the proliferation of bloggers, travel reporters and tour operators has devastated the habitat around the Hyperion tree. As a tourist, one should consider whether to try to preserve this heritage or try to destroy it," the statement said.
The rise of social media has seen an increasing number of tourists flock to the area. Photo: One Tree Planet
Leonel Arguello, the park's Director of Natural Resources, told the San Francisco Gate news site that the area has limited GPS service and cell phone coverage, making rescuing any visitors in distress extremely difficult.
Apart from erosion and damage caused to the tree roots, many other problems have arisen as the number of tourists flocking here has increased.
"Because of the large number of visitors, the number of trash cans and portable toilets installed has also increased. Used toilet paper and human waste are not good for the ecosystem," said Mr. Arguello.
However, humans are not the only threat these giant sequoias face.
Firefighters are covering the fireproofing with aluminum. Photo: CNN
Wildfires are also becoming a growing problem across California's national parks, with officials at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks taking steps in 2021 to protect some of the world's largest trees from fire.
The General Sherman, believed to be the world's largest giant sequoia, was wrapped in a fire-resistant aluminum cladding around its trunk and brush was cleared to control the fire.
