Save Our Sequoias Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2709, the Save Our Sequoias Act, offered by my colleague, Representative Fong from California.

The Save Our Sequoias Act establishes a framework to support the ongoing restoration and recovery of giant sequoias, an iconic keystone species found only in the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. Some of them grow to be more than 300 feet tall. They are some of the most fire-resilient species, even evolving to need frequent, low-intensity fires to reproduce and survive, but climate change, drought, and historic fire suppression have led to catastrophic wildfires that are burning hotter and more intensely than ever before. These climate change-driven wildfires are posing an existential threat to giant sequoias, which are struggling to survive.

Over the past decade, nearly 20 percent of the entire population of giant sequoias has died. H.R. 2709 is a targeted bill that would codify existing emergency response efforts by the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and partners to promote reforestation and reduce future wildfire risk in giant sequoia groves.

These efforts are working. The Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition reported that 2024 was a landmark year for conservation work, with restoration and fuels-reduction efforts successfully completed across nearly half of the total sequoia growth acreage.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my Republican colleagues sincerely for their willingness to negotiate in good faith with us on this bill. In our shared commitment to protecting these iconic trees, these national treasures, we came together to address many of our outstanding concerns, ensuring that new authorities provided by the bill prioritize ecological integrity and science-backed decisionmaking without undermining core environmental standards.

The bill was strengthened by that very legislative process. It is a clear, old-fashioned example of how bipartisan negotiations can produce balanced, strategic approaches to forest, wildfire, and public land management. It is an approach I urge the Natural Resources Committee to continue to take.

Looking at the bigger picture here, Mr. Speaker, this bill is just one piece of the puzzle. Our Federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, require funding and staffing to fulfill their congressionally mandated missions. These agencies cannot protect the giant sequoia without Congress giving them the necessary tools to carry out that work. New authorities alone will not save the sequoia.

The survival of one of America's most extraordinary national icons is at stake, and I urge Congress to take seriously its responsibility to support and steward our national parks, forests, and public lands from coast to coast.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. ELFRETH. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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