PROTECT THE GIANT SEQUOIAS

We, the undersigned, request that the U.S. Congress transfer the Giant Sequoia National Monument from control of the U.S. Forest Service into the care of the National Park Service.

The Giant Sequoia National Monument is located within the Sequoia National Forest in south-central California. The outer boundaries of the area encompass approximately 327,769 acres of federal land managed by the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. In April, 2000, President Clinton issued a Presidential Proclamation (the Proclamation) which created the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The Proclamation states that monument status was necessary %u201Cto counteract the effects of a century of fire suppression and logging%u201D that had occurred within the Sequoia National Forest and to increase protection for the objects and species within the Monument. The Proclamation directs that the Monument lands are not within the timber base, commercial logging is not to occur within the Monument, and trees within the Monument are not to be removed except in extraordinary circumstances.

The Forest Service falsely claims %u201Cfire hazard reduction,%u201D %u201Cgrove enhancement,%u201D and %u201Cincreased recreational opportunities%u201D as reasons for logging trees up to 30 inches in diameter (which could be two centuries old or more). The Forest Service also falsely claims that creating two-acre mini-clearcuts within Sequoia groves is necessary for sequoia regeneration. The Forest Service%u2019s own scientists have found that these actions will create dramatic side effects within the Monument such as reduced water quality, increased fire hazards, and the decline of several sensitive and at-risk species such as the spotted owl and Pacific fisher. 

It appears that ultimately our only hope for Giant Sequoia National Monument protection is for Congress to pass the Act to Save America's Forests, which would remove the Giant Sequoia National Monument from Forest Service control and place it in the care of the National Park Service. Sequoia ForestKeeper is working with Save America%u2019s Forests (SAF), located in Washington D.C., to educate congress about the damage to the Monument from Forest Service actions, so SAF can gather congressional support for the Act.  The Act would also protect all national forests%u2019 roadless and wilderness areas nation-wide. The National Park Service has proved in its management practices that it is the appropriate agency to care for national parks and monuments.  The Act to Save America's Forests is supported by many of the world's leading scientists, including Dr. E.O. Wilson, Dr. Jane Goodall, and the Union of Concerned Scientists, as well as over 100 members of Congress.

Giant Sequoias are the world%u2019s largest living things.  These majestic trees can easily grow to over 300 feet with diameters approaching 40 feet. They weigh up to 600 tons. As well as being massive in size, sequoias are long-lived. Some specimens are 3,200 years old. To put this in perspective, some sequoia trees were seedlings in 1,000 BC, a time that predates Plato, Socrates, Confucius, and Buddha.

The Sequoia, a cousin to the coast redwood, occurs naturally only in the Sierra Nevada. Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument contain more than half of the Sequoia groves in the world. As well as a sanctuary to these giants, this area is a complex and abundant forest ecosystem that is home to hundreds of plant and animal species, including the California condor, California spotted owl, and Pacific fisher.

Thank you for taking the time to give consideration to this important matter.  The sequoias are a natural, national treasure that must be protected and preserved for future generations.  We ask that you join Sequoia ForestKeeper in protecting the Giant Sequoia National Monument by transferring its management into the care of the National Park Service.