# Save Our Sequoias Act: What It Actually Does

Giant sequoias—the massive, ancient trees found in California's Sierra Nevada mountains—are facing serious threats from wildfires, drought, and insects. This bill creates a coordinated effort to protect and restore these iconic trees by bringing together federal agencies, California state officials, local tribes, and other organizations to work on a shared mission.

The bill establishes a "Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition," essentially a team of representatives from the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, California state agencies, the Tule River Indian Tribe, and local governments. This coalition will assess the health of giant sequoia groves, develop plans to reduce fire danger, and coordinate restoration efforts across different properties and jurisdictions. Since giant sequoia groves span multiple parks, national forests, and state lands, having everyone work together is meant to be more effective than each agency acting alone. The coalition will meet at least twice a year and make decisions by majority vote.

The bill also creates several new programs to actually carry out the protection work. It authorizes "Protection Projects" to reduce hazardous fuels (dead wood and dense vegetation that fuel intense fires) around sequoia groves, establishes "Strike Teams" to respond to emergencies, and creates grants for collaborative restoration work. Additionally, it sets up a special emergency fund and gives land managers more flexibility to use existing tools like stewardship contracts—arrangements where contractors do restoration work in exchange for harvesting some timber or other resources. The goal is to move quickly and efficiently to protect these trees from catastrophic wildfires while also helping groves recover after fires occur.

Save Our Sequoias Act

McCarthy, Kevin

Save Our Sequoias Act This bill provides for the conservation of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in California, including by <ul> <li> providing statutory authority for the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition;</li> <li>directing the coalition to submit a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment;</li> <li>declaring an emergency on certain public lands and allowing officials to carry out protection plans during the emergency to respond to the threat of wildfires, insects, and drought;</li> <li>directing the Department of the Interior to develop and implement a Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy; and</li> <li>establishing a variety of programs and funds to support the conservation of giant sequoias.</li> </ul>