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 safeguard 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.
Senator Curtis said, “Wildfires across the nation are burning longer and hotter than ever before, due to outdated forest management policies and increased fuel build-up. 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 that giant sequoia trees have been central to California’s heritage for millennia but face threats from fuel buildup, mismanagement, longer wildfire seasons, insects, and disease: “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: “This legislation will return resilience to our forests by streamlining science-based management and enhancing collaboration between state, federal, and tribal partners.” Representative Peters added that severe fires threaten both sequoias’ survival and climate stability: “Our Save Our Sequoias Act charts a new path forward in federal forest and wildfire policy to combat climate change.”
The bill would accelerate science-based forest treatments intended to boost resilience against fire while improving water quality, air quality, reducing carbon emissions, and protecting habitats. It has received endorsements from organizations such as Save the Redwoods League—whose Director Ben Friedman said it would help address what he called an emergency—and from Chairman Neil Peyron of the Tule River Tribe.
This legislative effort continues broader bipartisan work on wildfire prevention and forest restoration by Curtis and Padilla. They recently introduced another Senate measure focused on making federal forest management more efficient.
