SLS 24RS-876 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 45
BY SENATOR FOIL
AGRICULTURE/FOREST DEPT. Urges and requests the Louisiana Department of
Agriculture and Forestry to study and make recommendations on ways to increase urban
forestry in the state.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to study and
3 make recommendations on ways to increase urban forestry in the state.
4 WHEREAS, the legislature declared in Act 746 of the 1980 Regular Session of the
5 Legislature that:
6 (1)Trees serve as a vital resource in the urban environment and as an important
7 psychological link with nature for the urban dweller.
8 (2)Trees are a valuable economic asset in our cities. They help maintain or
9 increase property values and attract business and new residents to urban
10 areas.
11 (3)Trees play an important role in energy conservation by the modification of
12 temperature extremes, humidity, and winds. This role is particularly
13 important in reducing the amount of energy consumed in heating and cooling
14 buildings and homes, and potentially producing a local fuel and energy
15 source.
16 (4)Trees directly reduce air pollution by removing airborne particulates from the
17 atmosphere and helping to purify the air.
18
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SLS 24RS-876 ORIGINAL
1 (5)Trees also help reduce noise, provide habitat for songbirds and other wildlife,
2 reduce surface runoff and protect urban water resources, and enhance the
3 aesthetic quality of life in the city.
4 (6)Growing conditions in urban areas for trees and associated plants have
5 worsened so that many Louisiana cities are now losing more trees than are
6 replaced; and
7 WHEREAS, under R.S. 3:4382, "urban forestry" is defined as the cultivation and
8 management of trees in urban areas for their present and potential contribution to the
9 physiological, sociological, and economic well-being of urban society; and
10 WHEREAS, since the inception of Act 746 of the 1980 Regular Session of the
11 Legislature, adequate funding for the cultivation and management of trees in urban areas,
12 within the state, has been a roadblock in establishing and maintaining a healthy urban
13 forestry; and
14 WHEREAS, the USDA Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program
15 awards federal grants to fund projects that support urban communities through equitable
16 access to trees and the benefits they provide including neighborhoods with less crime, less
17 pollution, reduced energy costs, and higher quality of life compared to similar areas with less
18 trees and green spaces; and
19 WHEREAS, a 2021 report on the Economics of Urban Forestry in Louisiana
20 highlighted how trees have a tremendous impact on local economies and quality-of-life for
21 the citizens showcasing that:
22 (1)Three thousand five hundred sixty-six people are employed as a result of
23 urban forestry activities in Louisiana.
24 (2)Urban trees in the state contribute $3.9 billion in community-wide
25 environmental benefits each year, such as carbon sequestration, air pollution
26 removal, and avoided storm-water runoff.
27 (3)The urban forestry sector in Louisiana has an annual sales and employment
28 footprint worth $411 million; and
29 WHEREAS, in 2023, however, the USDA only awarded the state four federal grants
30 in support of urban forestry for local programs to manage and maintain community forests
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SLS 24RS-876 ORIGINAL
1 and the urban tree canopy; and
2 WHEREAS, in an effort to maintain economic benefits of urban forestry in their
3 states, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and others have found funding mechanisms outside of
4 USDA grants to promote and support urban forestry programs; and
5 WHEREAS, the urban areas in Louisiana are continuing to experience population
6 growth and expansion, and in order to invest in the state's urban forestry footprint, it is
7 important to proactively plan, plant, and maintain our community trees and urban tree
8 canopy.
9 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
10 urge and request the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to study and make
11 recommendations regarding funding mechanisms to increase urban forestry within the state.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and
13 Forestry submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on
14 Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development and the House Committee on
15 Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development not later than February 15, 2025.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
17 commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Mary Frances Aucoin.
DIGEST
SCR 45 Original 2024 Regular Session Foil
Requests Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to study and make
recommendations on ways to increase urban forestry in the state.
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