It is a Californian colossus which hails from the Sierra Nevada mountains.

But soon, the largest tree on the planet, which can be 300 feet (91.4 metres) high and have a circumference of up to 100 feet (34.4 metres), could be much closer to hand – in the Brecon Beacons.

While giant sequoias are rapidly growing in number in the UK as Britons plant the trees to offset their carbon emissions, numbers in America are rapidly declining due to climate change and forest mismanagement.

Extreme climate conditions mean that giant sequoias are registered as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with around 80,000 left in North America today – down by around 98 per cent from peak levels two centuries ago.

Numbers are falling at a rate of around 10 per cent per year, with up to 14 per cent of mature sequoias lost in the Castle Fire of 2020 alone. While moderate fire is beneficial for sequoia reproduction, intense fires are devastating for the species.

Read more: yahoo