Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of legislation that I introduced today along with Senator Padilla to preserve the enduring legacy of California's giant sequoias: the Save Our Sequoias Act.…
Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of legislation that I introduced today along with Senator Padilla to preserve the enduring legacy of California's giant sequoias: the Save Our Sequoias Act. I thank Senator Padilla for working with me on this important bill, as well as the bipartisan sponsors of similar legislation in the House.
The Save Our Sequoias Act would charge a dedicated group of Federal, State, local, and Tribal land managers known as the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition with developing wildfire resilience projects to help save these magnificent trees.
The bill would also provide Federal Agencies with narrow, targeted authorities to implement these projects quickly and protect our remaining sequoias, as well as create a strategy to enhance sequoia reforestation.
Giant sequoias are one of the most iconic plants in the world. The sequoia known as General Sherman is the largest tree on Earth at more than 100 feet in circumference and 275 feet tall.
Sequoias grow quickly, producing a 50-foot tree's worth of wood each year, yet can live to be thousands of years old. They are also remarkably fire-adapted, with spongy bark that can be up to 2-feet thick.
Perhaps most importantly to me, these incredible trees only grow in my home State of California. Just being around these trees is a humbling experience. Their immensity puts them in a class by themselves, and it is no wonder that they have been the source of reverence and amazement.
For many years, sequoias were considered nearly immune to the effects of wildfires, but unfortunately devastating fires in recent years have overwhelmed even their potent defenses. Officials have estimated that 20 percent of all mature giant sequoias have been destroyed just since 2020.
Scientific research has additionally suggested that without significant action, another 20 percent could be lost in the next 3 years. This would be a staggering tragedy and demands action. As former President Theodore Roosevelt himself put it, ``A grove of giant redwood or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great and beautiful cathedral.''
The vast majority of giant sequoias live on Federal land, and I thank President Biden and his administration for using existing authorities to try to save these magnificent trees. Nevertheless, Congress can and should enact legislation to protect sequoias long into the future.
Our bill would accomplish this goal by first codifying the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, an existing group of public land managers with jurisdiction over sequoia groves, and requiring it to develop a strategy to make sequoia groves more resilient to wildfire. It would also provide congressional support for the Biden Administration's current actions under an emergency declaration to expedite sequoia wildfire resilience projects.
Federal agencies should not be reliant on emergency authorities, however, in order to implement necessary wildfire resilience projects in the future. To that end, our bill provides those Agencies with narrow, targeted authorities to continue making progress on those projects and authorizes funding for dedicated personnel. It also establishes a grant program for sequoia resilience projects that occur off of Federal land.
Lastly, our bill ensures that we do not simply mitigate future sequoia losses but also begin the process of regrowth. Since sequoias can live to be thousands of years old, it is never too early to begin rejuvenating these majestic trees.
Mr. President, giant sequoias are one of the great treasures of the world, not just of California. It is incumbent upon Congress to pass our bill to ensure they are protected and can be cherished for thousands of years to come.
