California's giant sequoias — some of the oldest and largest living things on Earth — have been dying in recent wildfires at unprecedented rates, and this bill creates a coordinated emergency response across the federal, state, and tribal agencies that manage sequoia lands. The Interior and Agriculture departments would enter a shared stewardship agreement with California and the Tule River Indian Tribe, and the existing Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition (representing the National Park Service, Forest Service, BLM, state parks, and the Tribe) would produce a health assessment and track protection projects. The bill declares a 7-year emergency, which lets federal land managers categorically skip full environmental review under NEPA for hazardous fuel reduction, thinning, and removing dead or dying trees — up to 2,000 acres inside sequoia groves and 3,000 acres on nearby lands. It also establishes Giant Sequoia Strike Teams, restoration grants, an insect-monitoring strategy, and a philanthropic fund administered by the National Park Foundation, with at least 15% of fund disbursements reserved for Tribal management and conservation. Supporters argue the groves face a genuine crisis and slow environmental review was allowing trees to burn faster than they could be protected; environmental advocates worry the NEPA bypass sets a precedent for weakening review on other federal lands, even if narrowly tailored here. Affects residents, visitors, and workers around Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks and the surrounding national forests; gives the Tule River Tribe a formal co-management role.
Congressional Summary
Save Our Sequoias ActThis bill provides for the conservation of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in California.Specifically, it provides statutory authority for the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition and outlines the coalition's duties. The coalition must submit a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment and annually update it. The information from the assessment must be made available so the information can be integrated into certain other plans. The coalition must also create and maintain a website that contains the assessment, educational materials, searchable information about individual giant sequoia groves, and a searchable database to track the status and costs of reforestation and rehabilitation activities. Finally, the coalition must also have an annual public meeting.In addition, the bill declares an emergency on certain public lands and allows officials to carry out protection plans during the emergency to respond to the threat of wildfires, insects, and drought. The emergency expires after seven years.The Department of the Interior must develop and implement a Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy. Interior and the Forest Service must develop and implement a strategy for monitoring insects in giant sequoia groves with a high-risk or previous history of insect infestations. They must also enter into public-private partnerships to deploy technology to assist in monitoring infestations.Finally, the bill establishes a variety of programs and funds to support the conservation of giant sequoias.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-03-16
- Date Added
- 2026-04-19