RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers are considering several bills aimed at preserving trees in Virginia that have garnered bipartisan support, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The seven proposed bills would give broad authority to local governments to replace trees during development.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which is backing the legislation, said preserving trees is one of "the most cost-effective strategies to prepare communities for climate change threats, including school closures, heat islands, property destruction, and overflowing stormwater drains."
“The alarming loss of our tree canopy has ripple effects for Virginians who are seeing their backyard streams erode, their streets flood, and their utility bills increase,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Director of Outreach and Advocacy Ann Jurczyk. “These bills empower local governments with tools to preserve their trees, enhance their communities, and prepare Virginia to be a climate-ready Commonwealth.”
Between 2014 and 2018, the foundation notes that more than 9,500 acres of forest and urban tree canopy were lost across Virginia. Conservationists believe the state will continue to lose trees at a rapid rate due to widening interstates, wildfires, more invasive species and continuing energy infrastructure.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation added that it wants legislators to order the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to study how road construction has contributed to the loss of forest and urban tree canopy, and then develop a plan to remedy it.
Here is a breakdown of the proposed Virginia bills related to tree preservation:
HB 529: Introduced by Del. Patrick Hope, House Bill 529 aims to expand authority to all localities, so they can establish tree replacement requirements and allow statewide adoption of tree conservation language.
HB 170 and HB 1100: These two House Bills, introduced by Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra and Del. Betsy Carr, respectively, would allow all localities to conserve more developing trees and incentive localities to preserve mature trees. It also would provide flexibility for how localities decide to use tree funding.
In a 6-2 bipartisan vote on Jan. 18, the House Cities Counties and Towns Subcommittee passed HB 170.
HB 459 and SB 121: Introduced by Del. Richard Sullivan and Sen. Suhas Subramanyam, these bills would allow localities to incentivize developers to assess a site plan in hopes of identifying ways to preserve existing healthy trees. Further, it would allow tree funds to be used for tree maintenance.
On Jan. 19, the House Cities Counties and Towns Committee pass HB 459 in a 15-7 bipartisan vote.
HB 309 and SB 461: Under the bills introduced by Del. Patrick Hope and Sen. David Marsden, respectively, the Forest Conservation Act would permit the state of Virginia to identify how many acres of forests are healthy and determine the cause for lost acreage and how to remedy that through forest fragments and other conservation efforts.
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee passed HB 309 in a 10-0 vote on Jan. 24
