Bipartisan Coalition Reintroduces SOS Act to Protect Giant Sequoias

The bill seeks to provide land managers with emergency tools and resources needed to restore and maintain the giant sequoias, which are under threat due to wildfire and other environmental challenges. It proposes several measures, including the creation of 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.

The SOS Act would also declare an emergency to streamline and expedite environmental reviews and consultations while maintaining robust scientific analysis. It would provide new authority to the National Park Foundation and National Forest Foundation to accept private donations to facilitate Giant Sequoia restoration and resiliency and establish a comprehensive reforestation strategy to regenerate Giant Sequoias in areas destroyed by recent catastrophic wildfires.

Over 50 original cosponsors have joined the bill, including representatives from both major political parties. The legislation is also supported by a wide coalition of stakeholders including Save The Redwoods League, the Tule River Tribe, the National Congress of American Indians, and the National Association of Counties, among over 80 other organizations.

If the bill is passed into law, it is hoped that it will empower land managers with critical tools to expeditiously carry out fuel reduction and reforestation projects to save the sequoias for future generations. The reintroduction of the bill has been welcomed by many environmentalists and conservationists who hope that it will help to safeguard one of America’s most iconic natural wonders.