Save Our Sequoias Act

Key Points

• This bill declares a seven-year emergency to speed up work that protects giant sequoia trees. It allows land managers to quickly start projects like clearing overgrown brush and small trees that fuel massive wildfires, bypassing some of the usual long environmental reviews for areas up to 3,000 acres.
• The plan brings together federal agencies, the State of California, and the Tule River Indian Tribe to manage these lands together. It creates specialized 'Strike Teams' of up to 10 experts who will go into the woods to handle the physical work of thinning forests and planting new seedlings.
• Giant sequoias are some of the oldest and largest living things on Earth, but they are being killed at record rates by high-intensity wildfires, bark beetles, and long droughts. This policy aims to stop 'stand-replacing' fires that are hot enough to kill even the biggest, toughest trees.
• The bill sets up a new grant program and a private-public fund to pay for the work. It requires officials to finish a health assessment of all sequoia groves within six months and sets a goal to treat at least three groves every year to reduce fire risks.

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