Impacts of the New Administrationby Wendy Baxter Ancient Forest Society (AFS) was proud to share our 2024 accomplishments in our January newsletter. At the time, the outlook for 2025 was bright. That quickly changed as the Trump administration came into power. On January 24th all our federal funds, already appropriated by Congress, were illegally frozen. This funding came from our National Park Service (NPS) partners to support ongoing giant sequoia research and giant sequoia and sugar pine seed collections, with the goal of protecting these iconic trees for future generations. Thankfully, we recently have been able to recover most of the funding and can move forward with the bulk of this critical work. However, some of our funding and trillions of dollars of federal funds for other organizations remain frozen nationwide, despite several court rulings ordering their immediate release. We remain dedicated to protecting precious giant sequoia ecosystems. But we need strong partners to succeed, and the ability of our partners to continue this work is now being threatened. About 98% of native giant sequoias grow in National Parks and National Forests. Staffing at both federal organizations has been on the decline for years, and now the administration is further shrinking them by firing thousands of employees. Additionally, it enacted a federal civilian employee hiring freeze, putting more strain on remaining employees. While hiring of some seasonal NPS employees is now moving forward, the freeze is still in effect for seasonal Forest Service employees. Due to the downsizing of these critical work forces, important work won’t get done like fighting wildfires, conducting prescribed fires, ecosystem restoration, trail maintenance, scientific research, wildlife and resource protection and ensuring visitor safety. None of this is good for the giant sequoias or the public. The administration is also aiming to open public lands to increased resource extraction, as decreed in Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order. The order seeks to “encourage energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters”. This could further imperial threatened species like giant sequoias. At a time when every ancient tree counts, we can’t afford to lose ground in protecting them. Some steps you can take to support the protection of ancient trees and forests include: Support groups you care about, like AFS, that are working to protect ancient trees and forests Write to or call your Representative to voice your concerns Sign relevant petitions Join peaceful demonstrations Voice your support for federal employees
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