Costa Co-Sponsors Legislation to Save our Sequoias

Press Release

Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16), a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement after introducing the bipartisan Save the Sequoias Act, alongside Reps. Scott Peters (CA-52), Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), and 28 bipartisan members. This comprehensive bill would enhance interagency coordination and provide critical resources to protect the Giant Sequoias from the devastating impacts of climate change.

"The magnificent Giant Sequoia tree has a strong and resilient history in California, they tell a story that goes back thousands of years," Costa said. "They are among the oldest living things on the planet. Sadly, climate change, among other factors, are threatening and diminishing our long-standing redwood groves. Unless we take steps to improve forest management and reduce wildfire risk on federal public lands, we will watch the destruction of these ancient trees. I am proud to help lead this effort to preserve and protect the world's hardiest trees for future generations to come."

In the last two years, wildfires have wiped out nearly a fifth of the World's Giant Sequoias. Covering only 37,000 acres in California across roughly 70 groves, Giant Sequoias are among the most fire-resilient tree species on the planet and were once considered virtually indestructible. In 2020, the SQF Complex fires destroyed an estimated 7,500 to 10,600 large sequoias. In 2021, the KNP Complex and Windy fires wiped out an estimated 2,261 to 3,637 big trees. Climate change is destroying these iconic trees at an unprecedented rate.

The Save our Sequoias Act (SOS) would provide forest landowners and managers with the tools and resources to protect these ancient trees. Specifically, it would:

Create a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment to prioritize wildfire risk reduction treatments in the highest-risk groves and track the progress of scientific forest management activities.
Establish a comprehensive reforestation strategy to regenerate Giant Sequoias impacted by recent wildfires.
Declare an emergency to streamline and expedite environmental reviews and consultations while maintaining robust scientific analysis.
Authorize the National Park Foundation and National Forest Foundation to accept private donations for restoration and resiliency efforts.

Last month, Costa visited the National Sequoia Forest as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation. The group saw the damage firsthand to the Sequoia groves, caused by catastrophic wildfires. Also, the group held a roundtable with officials of the U.S. Forest Service to discuss improving forest management and protecting the future of the Giant Sequoias.

This legislation is also co-sponsored by: U.S. Reps. Bruce Westermann (AK-04), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), David Valadao (CA-21), John Garamendi (CA-03), Tom McClintock (CA-04), G.T. Thompson (PA-15), Mike Thompson (CA-05), Ken Calvert (CA-42), Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Mike Garcia (CA-25), Lou Correa (CA-46), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Ami Bera (CA-07), Jay Obernolte (CA-08), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Young Kim (CA-39), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), John Curtis (UT-03), Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), and Russ Fulcher (ID-21).

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