H.R. 2709

Save Our Sequoias Act

Sponsor: Vince Fong · 29 cosponsors

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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Save Our Sequoias Act

This 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.

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.

Finally, the bill establishes a variety of programs and funds to support the conservation of giant sequoias.

Text of the bill

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Sec. 7. Giant sequoia reforestation and rehabilitation strategy

(a) Reforestation and rehabilitation strategy

(1) In general. Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Coalition, shall develop and implement a strategy, to be known as the Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy, to enhance the reforestation and rehabilitation of giant sequoia groves that—

(A) identifies giant sequoia groves in need of reforestation or rehabilitation, giving highest priority to groves identified under section 5(a)(1)(A)(i);

(B) creates a priority list of reforestation and rehabilitation activities;

(C) identifies and addresses—

(i) barriers to reforestation or rehabilitation, including—

(I) regulatory and funding barriers;

(II) seedling shortages or related nursery infrastructure capacity constraints;

(III) labor and workforce shortages;

(IV) technology and science gaps; and

(V) site preparation challenges;

(ii) potential public-private partnership opportunities to complete high-priority reforestation or rehabilitation projects;

(iii) a timeline for addressing the backlog of reforestation for giant sequoias in the 10-year period after the agreement is entered into under section 3; and

(iv) strategies to ensure genetic diversity across giant sequoia groves; and

(D) includes program and policy recommendations needed to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of the Strategy.

(2) Assessment. The Secretary may incorporate the Strategy into the Assessment under section 5.

(b) Priority reforestation projects amendment. Section 3(e)(4)(C)(ii)(I) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(e)(4)(C)(ii)(I)) is amended—

(1) in item (bb), by striking and;

(2) in item (cc), by striking the period and inserting ; and; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(dd) shall include reforestation and rehabilitation activities conducted under section 7 of the Save Our Sequoias Act.