U.S. Senators John Curtis and Alex Padilla introduced the Save Our Sequoias Act on Mar. 17, a bipartisan and bicameral bill aimed at protecting giant sequoia trees from wildfires, insects, and disease. Representatives Vince Fong and Scott Peters have introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
The legislation seeks to improve coordination among agencies, speed up forest restoration efforts, and provide resources for land managers to help prevent further destruction of these ancient trees. The bill is designed to reverse damage caused by catastrophic wildfires and restore the resilience of giant sequoia groves, which are valued for their ecological, scientific, and cultural significance.
“Wildfires across the nation are burning longer and hotter than ever before, due to outdated forest management policies and increased fuel build-up,” said Senator Curtis. “Land managers need the tools, coordination, and resources to reduce wildfire risk, restore forests, and ensure the next generation of growth can flourish. The Save Our Sequoias Act is an important complement to our broader bipartisan effort to manage and maintain our vibrant natural resources.”
Senator Padilla said: “For millennia, giant sequoia trees have been a cornerstone of California’s rich natural heritage, offering stunning recreation opportunities, vibrant natural habitats, and critical protections from wildfires and climate change. However, immense fuel buildups, forest mismanagement, increasingly long wildfire seasons, and other threats from insects and disease have decimated nearly a fifth of these ecological marvels in the past decade alone. We must work across the aisle to strengthen the resiliency of these groves to ensure these California icons endure for generations to come.”
Representative Fong called for immediate action: “California’s Giant Sequoia groves are a symbol of our state’s natural heritage in the Central Valley, and we need to take immediate action to preserve them for future generations… This legislation will return resilience to our forests by streamlining science-based management and enhancing collaboration between state, federal, and tribal partners. Our iconic Giant Sequoias are a true national treasure and must be protected.” Representative Peters added: “Unfortunately, insufficient land management and climate change have led to increasingly severe fires that threaten the survival of giant sequoias… In just one year, the California wildfires that threaten the Sequoias contributed more to climate change than the state’s entire power sector. Our Save Our Sequoias Act charts a new path forward in federal forest and wildfire policy…”
The bill has received endorsements from organizations such as Save the Redwoods League and the Tule River Tribe. Ben Friedman from Save the Redwoods League said: “By officially declaring this crisis as an emergency, this bill will help Save the Redwoods… boost the fire resilience of the most at-risk groves.” Chairman Neil Peyron of Tule River Tribe said: “The bill empowers resourceful experts and stewards to employ critical resiliency efforts to combat the very real threat of fire that plagues our sacred Sequoia groves.”
This initiative continues broader bipartisan efforts by Curtis and Padilla on forest management issues.
