Proclamations Proc. 7295 quoias hold within their tree rings multi-millennial records of past environ- mental changes such as climate, fire regimes, and consequent forest re- sponse. Only one other North American tree species, the high-elevation bristlecone pine of the desert mountain ranges east of the Sierra Nevada, holds such lengthy and detailed chronologies of past changes and events. Sequoias and their surrounding ecosystems provide a context for under- standing ongoing environmental changes. For example, a century of fire suppression has led to an unprecedented failure in sequoia reproduction in otherwise undisturbed groves. Climatic change also has influenced the se- quoia groves; their present highly disiunct distribution is at least partly due to generally higher summertime temperatures and prolonged summer droughts in California from about 10,000 to 4,500 years ago. During that pe- riod, sequoias were rarer than today. Only following a slight cooling and shortening of summer droughts, about 4,500 years ago, has the sequoia been able to spread and create today's groves. These giant sequoia groves and the surrounding forest provide an excellent opportunity to understand the consequences of different approaches to for- est restoration. These forests need restoration to counteract the effects of a century of fire suppression and logging. Fire suppression has caused forests to become denser in many areas, with increased dominance of shade-toler- ant species. Woody debris has accumulated, causing an unprecedented buildup of surface fuels. One of the most immediate consequences of these changes is an increased hazard of wildfires of a severity that was rarely en- countered in pre-Euroamerican times. Outstanding opportunities exist for studying the consequences of different approaches to mitigating these con- ditions and restoring natural forest resilience. The great elevational range of the monument embraces a number of cli- matic zones, providing habitats for an extraordinary diversity of plant spe- cies and communities. The monument is rich in rare plants and is home to more than 200 plant species endemic to the southern Sierra Nevada mountain range, arrayed in plant communities ranging from low-elevation oak woodlands and chaparral to high-elevation subalpine forest. Numerous meadows and streams provide an interconnected web of habitats for mois- ture-loving species. This spectrum of interconnected vegetation types provides essential habitat for wildlife, ranging from large, charismatic animals to less visible and less familiar forms of life, such as fungi and insects. The mid-elevation forests are dominated by massive conifers arrayed in a complex landscape mosaic, providing one of the last refugia for the Pacific fisher in California. The fisher appears to have been extirpated from the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range. The forests of the monument are also home to great gray owl, American marten, northern goshawk, peregrine falcon, spotted owl, and a number of rare amphibians. The giant sequoias themselves are the only known trees large enough to provide nesting cavities for the California condor, which otherwise must nest on cliff faces. In fact, the last pair of condors breeding in the wild was discovered in a giant sequoia that is part of the new monument. The monument's giant sequoia ecosystem remains available for the return and study of condors. The physiography and geology of the monument have been shaped by mil- lions of years of intensive uplift, erosion, volcanism, and glaciation. The monument is dominated by granitic rocks, most noticeable as domes and 61
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