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