Giant sequoia lands
How will they be impacted by election results?
Volume 3, Number 27 - Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024
Published every Monday and Thursday
Perspective
THE ELECTION has everyone’s attention, of course. Everyone has their “most important issues,” with speculation about what Donald Trump’s return to the White House might mean. I’m wondering about giant sequoias, the Sierra Nevada and California’s environmental concerns.
As a reminder, 47.7% of land in California is owned by the federal government, including nearly all of the land where giant sequoias grow. You can see a breakdown HERE. (Most giant sequoia land is in public ownership; Tulare County’s Balch Park, Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest and Calaveras Big Trees State Park are the only non-federal publicly-owned giant sequoia lands).
I’m hardly an expert on the workings of our federal government, and my specific concerns aren’t making the cut in mainstream media reports about what the Republican win (the presidency and Senate) may mean. Control of the House of Representatives is still uncertain, according to the NY Times (HERE) — although it looks pretty red to me.
It’s worth noting that although California’s electoral votes went to Kamala Harris, the counties that are closest to the Sierra Nevada — specifically those in the San Joaquin Valley and the mountains — mostly voted for Trump. Votes are still being counted, but the graphics HERE, HERE and HERE show this.
These early reports show that Trump flipped Fresno County, headquarters for Sierra National Forest. You may recall from recent newsletters that there is a proposal to change the national forest lands to a national monument (Range of Light National Monument). My bet is that Trump’s win and a GOP Senate majority mean that won’t happen in the next four years.
Could President Joe Biden make a last-minute proclamation using powers under the Antiquities Act of 1906? Perhaps. But here’s what Stephen Montgomery, chair of the Sierra Club’s Kern-Kaweah Chapter, posted in a comment to this newsletter on Oct. 24:
If the ex-president wins the election, a "Range of Light National Monument" declared by President Biden would likely be history. Recall during his past administration, Trump reduced the size of some national monuments… (you can Montgomery’s entire comment HERE - scroll to bottom).
The website, Government Executive, published an agency-by-agency look at Trump’s plan to overhaul government yesterday. You can read it HERE. The Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department (over the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management) are mentioned, but not the Department of Agriculture (which is over the Forest Service), so this list wasn’t as complete as I would have liked. Noteworthy, from this article:
Trump and his allies have said they’re planning on reversing environmental regulations and rescinding climate funds in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
As I reported HERE, we already know that the Forest Service doesn’t have enough funding to burn all the piles created by work related to the Giant Sequoia Emergency Response. The current Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government will apparently expire on Dec. 20 (HERE). Could Trump cancel some of the agreements the Forest Service planned to use from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act? Much remains uncertain.
During his last term as president, Trump blamed California wildfires on poor forest management (HERE and HERE). He also approved an increase in forest lands treatment (HERE), although some of that was by offering for sale 600 million board feet of timber from public lands (generally not favored by environmental groups).
The coming months will give us a better idea of how this week’s election will impact the federal agencies in charge of so much of California, including giant sequoia lands.
Climate change
I think it’s fair to say that Trump is a climate change denier. And no fan of the Golden State. I’m guessing he won’t read a report just out that shows the impact of warmer temperatures on drought. Here’s an excerpt:
A study by UCLA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientists has found that evaporation accounted for 61% of the drought's severity, while reduced precipitation only accounted for 39%. The research found that evaporative demand has played a bigger role than reduced precipitation in droughts since 2000, which suggests droughts will become more severe as the climate warms.
You can read about HERE and HERE and HERE.
California voters on Nov. 5 approved Proposition 4, a $10 billion bond measure to fund water, climate, wildfire and natural resource projects after voters approved a bond measure in Tuesday’s election. Read more HERE.
Seasonal closures
I missed reporting this, but Tulare County’s Balch Park closed for the season effective Oct. 27. Big Meadows on Sequoia National Forest (Hume Lake Ranger District) is also closed, as are OHV trails on Sierra National Forest and the Cedar Grove and Mineral King areas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. I’m sure I’ve missed some. The access window to many areas of the Sierra Nevada is relatively short, especially when we factor in delays in being able to get roads open in the spring and closures during wildfires.
Wildfire, water & weather update
Red Flag Warnings across Southern California with Santa Ana Winds driving a horrendous wildfire in Ventura County. It’s far from the Sierra Nevada, but a reminder that fire season isn’t over in California. Fortunately, Predictive Services (HERE) shows little or no risk of a large fire kicking off in the Sierra Nevada. The California Drought Map (HERE) still shows “abnormally dry” through much of the Sierra Nevada. The best Sierra Nevada weather forecasts are at NWS Hanford, HERE, and NWS Sacramento, HERE. Here’s a map showing possibilities for snow on Monday, Nov. 11:
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Thanks for reading!
It appears as though the president- elect , if he continues denying climate change, will not be eager to help with our wildfires and drought issues. Can Californians vote in enough measures and money for more fire protections and drought management to see us through the next four years on our own? Will Sacramento allot enough funding and personnel to meet these needs? I know these are bigger issues than the Giant Sequoias, but they are affected greatly by these larger concerns. I hope our State loses no time in tackling these problems before they tackle California!