Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB4403 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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3		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 1
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31	28		STATE OF OKLAHOMA
32	29
33	30		2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022)
34	31
35	32		COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
36	33		FOR
37	34		HOUSE BILL NO. 4403 By: Pittman
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43	40		COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
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45	42		An Act relating to agriculture; creating the Oklahoma
46	43		Urban and Community Forestry Act; defining terms;
47	44		providing purpose; providing the Oklahoma Department
48	45		of Agriculture, Food , and Forestry may establish and
49	46		maintain an urban and community forestry program;
50	47		providing that the Department may assist cities,
51	48		counties, and federally recogn ized tribes in
52	49		establishing and maintaining urban and community
53	50		forestry programs; providing that the Department may
54	51		advise and encourage different entiti es in the
55	52		development and coordination of policies, programs
56	53		and activities for the promotion of urban and
57	54		community forestry; providing that the Department may
58	55		appoint a committee or council to advise in
59	56		establishing and carrying out an urban and communit y
60	57		forestry program; providing that the Department may
61	58		assist municipal and county tree maintenance
62	59		programs; providing for private property owners to
63	60		opt out of urban and community forestry programs;
64	61		providing the Department guidelines for receiving and
65	62		disbursing federal funds and other gifts, grants,
66	63		bequests, endowments and donation s; providing the
67	64		Department may charge fees for attendance of
68	65		workshops, conferences and other publications or
69	66		materials; providing that the Department may enter
70	67		into agreements and contract with cities, counties,
71	68		tribes, and other entities; providing Department
72	69		guidelines for entering into agreements with
73	70		nonprofit organizations ; providing that the
74	71		Department shall encourage urban planting and care,
75	72		through various program s; requiring the Department to
	73	+	conduct an analyses of the needs and opportunities
	74	+	related to urban fore stry in the state by assessing
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77		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 2
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103		-	conduct an analyses of the needs and opportunities
104		-	related to urban forestry in the state by assessing
105	101		tree canopy cover and urban forestry inventory data;
106	102		requiring the Department to identify priority regions
107	103		for the implementation of urban forestry programs;
108	104		providing that the Department may consult with
109	105		external experts; re quiring the Department to consult
110	106		with appropriate tribes in watershed s where urban
111	107		forestry work is occurring; requiring the Department
112	108		to identify areas where urban forestry will generate
113	109		the greatest confluence of benefits in relation to
114	110		canopy needs and health disparities; requiring a
115	111		certain percentage of resources are used to benefit
116	112		vulnerable populations and or for highly impacted
117	113		communities; providing that the Department shall
118	114		conduct a statewide in ventory of urban and community
119	115		forests; requiring the Department to provide certain
120	116		assistances for the promotion of urban and community
121	117		forestry; providing that the Department may use
122	118		existing urban and community forestry inventory too ls
123	119		or develop new tools to collect urban and community
124	120		forest tree data; providing that the Department shall
125	121		strive to enable cities urban forest managers to
126	122		access carbon markets; providing guidance to
127	123		communities developing urban forestry management
128	124		plans; providing guidanc e for communities developing
129	125		urban forestry ordinanc es; providing that the
130	126		Department may consult with the Oklahoma Department
131	127		of Commerce for certain issues; providing that the
132	128		Department may use existing or develop additional
133	129		tools to facilitate urban fo restry programs;
134	130		requiring the Department to encourage communities to
135	131		include participation and input by vulnerable
136	132		populations; providing requirements for delivery of
137	133		resources; requiring the Department to manage the
138	134		application and evaluation of candidat es for
139	135		evergreen community designation; requiring the
140	136		Department to develop the criteria for evergreen
141	137		community designation program; providing requirements
142	138		for designation of evergreen community; requiring the
143	139		Department to develop signage and logos for a n
144	140		evergreen community; providing that the Department
145	141		can consult with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce
146	142		in implementing evergreen communities; providing for
147	143		codification; and providing an effective date.
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151		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 3
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177	174		BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OK LAHOMA:
178	175		SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
179	176		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3031 of Title 2, unless there is
180	177		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
181	178		This act shall be known an d may be cited as the "Oklahoma Urban
182	179		and Community Forestry Act".
183	180		SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
184	181		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3032 of Title 2, unless there is
185	182		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows :
186	183		As used in this act:
187	184		1. "Department" means the Oklah oma Department of Agriculture,
188	185		Food, and Forestry;
189	186		2. "Evergreen community" means a city, county, or area of
190	187		tribal land that has developed an excellent urban forest management
191	188		program;
192	189		3. "Highly impacted community" means a community designated by
193	190		the State Department of Health based on cumulative impact analyses
194	191		or a community located in census tracts that are fully or partially
195	192		on "Indian country" as defined in 18 U.S.C. , Section 1151;
196	193		4. "Management plan" means an urban forest management plan
197	194		developed pursuant to this act;
198	195		5. "Tree canopy" means the layer of leaves, branches, and stems
199	196		of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above and that can
200	197		be measured as a percentage of a land are a shaded by trees;
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202		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 4
203		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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228	224		6. "Tribes" means any federally recogn ized Indian tribes whose
229	225		traditional lands and territories include parts of the state ;
230	226		7. "Urban and community forest" or "urban forest" is that land
231	227		in and around human settlements ranging from sm all communities to
232	228		metropolitan areas, occupied or potenti ally occupied by trees and
233	229		associated vegetation. Urban and community forestland may be
234	230		planted or unplanted, used or unused, and includes public and
235	231		private lands, lands along transportation and ut ility corridors, and
236	232		forested watershed lands within popu lated areas;
237	233		8. "Urban and community forest assessment" or "urban forest
238	234		assessment" means an analysis of the urban and community forest
239	235		inventory to:
240	236		a. establish the scope and scale of forest -related
241	237		benefits and services,
242	238		b. determine the economic valuation of such benefits,
243	239		highlight trends, and issues of concern ,
244	240		c. identify high priority areas to be addressed ,
245	241		d. outline strategies for addressing the critical issues
246	242		and urban landscapes , and
247	243		e. identify opportunities for retaining trees, expanding
248	244		forest canopy, and planting additional trees to
249	245		sustain Oklahoma's urban and community forests ;
250	246		9. "Urban and community forest inventory" or "urban forest
251	247		inventory" means a management tool designed to gauge t he condition,
252	248
253		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 5
254		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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279	274		management status, health, and diversity of an urban and community
280	275		forest. An inventory may evaluate individual trees or groups of
281	276		trees or canopy cover within urban and community forests, and will
282	277		be periodically updated by the Department.
283	278		10. "Urban and community forestry" or "urban forestry" mean s
284	279		the planning, establishment, protection, care, and management of
285	280		trees and associated plants individually, in small groups, or under
286	281		more naturally forested conditions within cities, counties, a nd
287	282		tribal lands;
288	283		11. "Urban and community forestry ordinanc e" or "urban forestry
289	284		ordinance" is an ordinance developed by a city, county, or tribe
290	285		that promotes urban forestry management and care of trees ; and
291	286		12. "Vulnerable populations" means communitie s that experience
292	287		a disproportionate cumulative risk from en vironmental burdens due
293	288		to:
294	289		a. adverse socioeconomic factors, including unemployment,
295	290		high housing and transportation costs relative to
296	291		income, access to food and health care, and linguistic
297	292		isolation, and
298	293		b. sensitivity factors, such as low birth weight a nd
299	294		higher rates of hospitalization.
300	295		SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
301	296		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3033 of Title 2, unless there is
302	297		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
303	298
304		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 6
305		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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330	324		The purpose of this act is to:
331	325		1. Encourage planning for, planting, maintaining, and managing
332	326		of trees in the state's cities, counties, and tribal lands and
333	327		maximize the potential of tree and vegetative cover in i mproving the
334	328		quality of the environment ;
335	329		2. Encourage the coordination of activities by state and local
336	330		agencies and federally recognized tribes, and maximize resident
337	331		participation in the development and implementation of urban and
338	332		community forestry-related programs, including through capacity
339	333		building to facilitate participation from new partners;
340	334		3. Foster healthy economic activity for the state's urban and
341	335		community forestry-related businesses through cooperative and
342	336		supportive contracts w ith the private business sector;
343	337		4. Facilitate the creation of employm ent opportunities related
344	338		to urban and community forestry activities, including opportunities
345	339		for youth, especially in urban areas, to learn teamwork, resource
346	340		conservation, environment al appreciation, and job skills;
347	341		5. Provide meaningful voluntary oppor tunities for the state's
348	342		residents and organizations interested in urban an d community
349	343		forestry activities; and
350	344		6. Contribute to improved human health through targeted
351	345		delivery of programs and ac tivities in highly impacted communities
352	346		with greater health disparities.
353	347
354		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 7
355		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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380	373		SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
381	374		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3034 of Title 2, unless there is
382	375		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
383	376		A. The Department may establish and main tain a program in
384	377		urban and community forestry to accomplish the following:
385	378		1. Encourage planning for, planting, maintaining, and managing
386	379		of trees in the state's cities, counties, and tribal la nds and
387	380		maximize the potential of tree and vegetative cover in improving the
388	381		quality of the environment ;
389	382		2. Encourage the coordination of activities by state and local
390	383		agencies and federally recognized tribes, and maximize resident
391	384		participation in the de velopment and implementation of urban and
392	385		community forestry-related programs, including through capacity
393	386		building to facilitate participation from new partners ;
394	387		3. Foster healthy economic activity for the state's urban and
395	388		community forestry-related businesses through cooperative and
396	389		supportive contracts w ith the private business sector;
397	390		4. Facilitate the creation of employment opportunities related
398	391		to urban and community forestry activities, including opportunities
399	392		for youth, especially in urban areas, to learn teamwork, resource
400	393		conservation, environment al appreciation, and job skills;
401	394		5. Provide meaningful voluntary opportunities for the state's
402	395		residents and organizations interested in urban an d community
403	396		forestry activities; and
404	397
405		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 8
406		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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431	423		6. Contribute to improved human health thro ugh targeted
432	424		delivery of programs an d activities in highly impacted communities
433	425		with greater health disparities.
434	426		B. The Department may assist cities, counties, and federally
435	427		recognized tribes in establishing and maintaining urban a nd
436	428		community forestry pr ograms and encourage appropriate and improved
437	429		tree management and care.
438	430		C. The Department may advise, encourage, and assist cities,
439	431		counties, tribes, and other public and private entities in the
440	432		development and coordination of poli cies, programs, and acti vities
441	433		for the promotion of urban an d community forestry.
442	434		D. The Department may appoint a committee or council to advise
443	435		the Department in establishing and carrying out a program in urban
444	436		and community forestry.
445	437		E. The Department may assist municipal and county tree
446	438		maintenance programs by making surplus equipment available on loan
447	439		where feasible for urban and community forestry programs and
448	440		cooperative projects.
449	441		F. An owner of private property may opt out of a voluntary
450	442		urban and community forestry pro gram established by a city, county,
451	443		or federally recognized tribe pursuant to this act. The property
452	444		owner opting out must provide notice to the city, county, or
453	445		federally recognized tribe in either written or electronic form.
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455		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 9
456		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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481	472		SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
482	473		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3035 of Title 2, unless there is
483	474		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
484	475		The Department may:
485	476		1. Receive and disburse any and all moneys contributed,
486	477		allotted, or paid by the United States u nder authority of any act of
487	478		congress for the purposes of this act;
488	479		2. Receive such gifts, grants, bequests, and endowments and
489	480		donations of labor, material, seedlings, and equipment from public
490	481		or private sources as may be made for the purpose of carryin g out
491	482		the provisions of this act, and may spend the gifts, grants,
492	483		bequests, endowments, and donations as well as other mon ies from
493	484		public or private sources ;
494	485		3. Charge fees for attendance at wor kshops and conferences, and
495	486		for various publications and oth er materials that the Department may
496	487		prepare; and
497	488		4. Enter into agreements and contracts with cities, counties,
498	489		tribes, nonprofit organizations, and others having urban and
499	490		community forestry-related responsibilities.
500	491		SECTION 6. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
501	492		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3036 of Title 2, unless there is
502	493		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
503	494		The Department may enter into a greements with one or mo re
504	495		nonprofit organizations whose pri mary purpose is urban tree
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506		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 10
507		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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532	522		planting. The agreements must be directed at furthering public
533	523		education about and support for urban tree planning, planting,
534	524		establishment, care, and long -term maintenance, and for obtaining
535	525		voluntary activities by the local co mmunity organizations in tree
536	526		planting programs. The agreements must ensure these programs are
537	527		consistent with the purposes of the urban and community forestry
538	528		program under this act.
539	529		SECTION 7. NEW LAW A new section of law to be c odified
540	530		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3037 of Title 2, unless there is
541	531		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
542	532		The Department shall encourage urban planting and care through
543	533		establishment and long-term management of trees, encouraging
544	534		varieties that are site-appropriate and provide the best combination
545	535		of energy and water conservation, fire safety and other safety,
546	536		wildlife habitat, stormwater management, and aesthetic value. The
547	537		Department may provide technical assistance in developing programs
548	538		in tree planting for energy conservation in areas of the state where
549	539		such programs are most cost -effective. The Department must conduct
550	540		analyses and prioritize target regions for delive ry of programs,
551	541		policies, and activities that include criter ia related to human
552	542		health as provided in Section 8 of this act.
553	543		SECTION 8. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
554	544		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3038 of Title 2, unless there is
555	545		created a duplication in numbering, reads a s follows:
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557		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 11
558		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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583	572		A. The Department must conduct analyses of the needs and
584	573		opportunities related to urban forestry in the state by assessing
585	574		tree canopy cover and urban forestry inventory data.
586	575		1. The Department must utilize existing recent tree canopy
587	576		study and inventory data when available.
588	577		2. The Department may add additional canopy analysis in regions
589	578		where adequate data is not available through internal analysis and
590	579		the use of research consultants as needed.
591	580		3. In collaboration with local governments, the Department may
592	581		conduct prioritized inventories of urban forests where adequate data
593	582		is not available.
594	583		B. The Department must identify priority regions for the
595	584		implementation of urban forestry pr ograms. Priority must be
596	585		determined through the use and rev iew of analyses and tools
597	586		including, but not limited to, the following:
598	587		1. Canopy analysis and inventory of urban and community
599	588		forestry data as determined in paragraph 1 of subsection A of this
600	589		section;
601	590		2. Health disparity mapping tools that ident ify highly
602	591		impacted communities. Communities should be identified at the
603	592		census tract level; and
604	593		3. The Department's twenty-year forest health strategic plan.
605	594		C. The Department may consult with exter nal experts as part of
606	595		the review and analysis that will det ermine priority regions for the
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608		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 12
609		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
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622	610		14
623	611		15
624	612		16
625	613		17
626	614		18
627	615		19
628	616		20
629	617		21
630	618		22
631	619		23
632	620		24
633	621
634	622		purposes of this act. Consultation may be conducted with experts
635	623		such as: Other state agencies; a statewide organization representing
636	624		urban and community for estry programs; health experts; and other
637	625		technical experts as needed.
638	626		D. The Department must consult with the appropriate tribes in
639	627		watersheds where urban forestry work is taking place.
640	628		E. The Department shall, through its analysis and
641	629		consultation, seek to i dentify areas where urban forestry will
642	630		generate the greatest confluence of benefits in relation to canopy
643	631		needs and health disparities.
644	632		F. The Department must ensure a minimum of fifty (50%) percent
645	633		of the resources used in delivering the policies, progr ams, and
646	634		activities of this act are benefiting vulnerabl e populations and are
647	635		delivered in or within one -quarter (1/4) mile of highly impacted
648	636		communities as identified by the t ools described in paragraph 2 of
649	637		subsection B of this section, and scale these resources so the most
650	638		resources are allocated to the hig hest impacted communities within
651	639		these areas. This includes resources for establishing and
652	640		maintaining new trees as well as maintenance of existing tree
653	641		canopy.
654	642		G. The Department shall conduct a statewide inventory of urba n
655	643		and community forests using ur ban forest inventory and assessment
656	644		protocols established by the United States forest service to produce
657	645		statistically relevant estimates of the quantity, health,
658	646
659		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 13
660		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
	647	+	Req. No. 10881 Page 13 1
661	648		2
662	649		3
663	650		4
664	651		5
665	652		6
666	653		7
667	654		8
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669	656		10
670	657		11
671	658		12
672	659		13
673	660		14
674	661		15
675	662		16
676	663		17
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678	665		19
679	666		20
680	667		21
681	668		22
682	669		23
683	670		24
684	671
685	672		composition, and benefits of urban tr ees and forests. Inventory
686	673		data must be maintained and periodically updated.
687	674		SECTION 9. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
688	675		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3039 of Title 2, unless there is
689	676		created a duplication in numbe ring, reads as follows:
690	677		A. The Department must provide technical assistance and
691	678		capacity-building resources and opportunities to cities, counties,
692	679		federally recognized tribes, and other public and private entities
693	680		in the development and coordination of po licies, programs, and
694	681		activities for the promotion of ur ban and community forestry.
695	682		B. The Department may use existing urban and community forestry
696	683		inventory tools or develop additional tools to assist cities,
697	684		counties, federally recognized tribes, and ot her public and private
698	685		entities to collect urban and com munity forest tree data that
699	686		informs urban and community forestry management, planning, and
700	687		policy development.
701	688		C. The Department shall strive to enable Oklahoma's cities'
702	689		urban forest managers to ac cess carbon markets by workin g to ensure
703	690		tools developed under this section are compatible with existing and
704	691		developing urban forest carbon market reporting protocols.
705	692		D. The Department may use existing tools to assist communities
706	693		to develop urban forestr y management plans. Management plans may
707	694		include, but not be limited to, the following elements:
708	695
709		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 14
710		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
	696	+	Req. No. 10881 Page 14 1
711	697		2
712	698		3
713	699		4
714	700		5
715	701		6
716	702		7
717	703		8
718	704		9
719	705		10
720	706		11
721	707		12
722	708		13
723	709		14
724	710		15
725	711		16
726	712		17
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728	714		19
729	715		20
730	716		21
731	717		22
732	718		23
733	719		24
734	720
735	721		1. Inventory and assessment of the jurisdiction's urban and
736	722		community forests utilized as a dynamic management tool to set
737	723		goals, implement programs, and mon itor outcomes that may be adju sted
738	724		over time;
739	725		2. Canopy cover goals;
740	726		3. Reforestation and tree canopy expansion goals within the
741	727		city's, town's, and county's boundaries;
742	728		4. Restoration of public forests;
743	729		5. Achieving forest stand and diversity goals;
744	730		6. Maximizing vegetated stormw ater management with trees and
745	731		other vegetation that reduces runoff, increases soil infiltration,
746	732		and reduces stormwater pollution ;
747	733		7. Environmental health goals specific to air quality, habitat
748	734		for wildlife, and energy cons ervation;
749	735		8. Vegetation management practices and progra ms to prevent
750	736		vegetation from interfering with or damaging utilities and public
751	737		facilities;
752	738		9. Prioritizing planting sites;
753	739		10. Standards for tree s election, siting, planting, and
754	740		pruning;
755	741		11. Scheduling maintenance and stewar dship for new and
756	742		established trees;
757	743		12. Staff and volunteer training requirements emphasizing
758	744		appropriate expertise and professionalism;
759	745
760		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 15
761		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
	746	+	Req. No. 10881 Page 15 1
762	747		2
763	748		3
764	749		4
765	750		5
766	751		6
767	752		7
768	753		8
769	754		9
770	755		10
771	756		11
772	757		12
773	758		13
774	759		14
775	760		15
776	761		16
777	762		17
778	763		18
779	764		19
780	765		20
781	766		21
782	767		22
783	768		23
784	769		24
785	770
786	771		13. Guidelines for protecting existing trees from construction -
787	772		related damage and damag e related to preserving terri torial views;
788	773		14. Integrating disease and pest management;
789	774		15. Wood waste utilization;
790	775		16. Community outreach, participation, education programs, and
791	776		partnerships with nongovernment organizations;
792	777		17. Time frames for achiev ing plan goals, objectives, a nd
793	778		tasks;
794	779		18. Monitoring and measuring progress toward those benchmarks
795	780		and goals;
796	781		19. Emphasizing landscape and revegetation plans in residential
797	782		and commercial development areas where tree retention objectives are
798	783		challenging to achieve; and
799	784		20. Maximizing building heating and cooling energy efficiency
800	785		through appropriate siting of trees for summer shading, passive
801	786		solar heating in winter, and for wind breaks.
802	787		E. The Department may use existing tools to assist communities
803	788		to develop urban forestry ordinances. Ordinances may include, but
804	789		not be limited to, the following elements:
805	790		1. Tree canopy cover, density, and spacing;
806	791		2. Tree conservation and retention;
807	792		3. Vegetated stormwater runoff management using native trees
808	793		and appropriate nonnative, nonna turalized vegetation;
809	794
810		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 16
811		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
	795	+	Req. No. 10881 Page 16 1
812	796		2
813	797		3
814	798		4
815	799		5
816	800		6
817	801		7
818	802		8
819	803		9
820	804		10
821	805		11
822	806		12
823	807		13
824	808		14
825	809		15
826	810		16
827	811		17
828	812		18
829	813		19
830	814		20
831	815		21
832	816		22
833	817		23
834	818		24
835	819
836	820		4. Clearing, grading, protection of soils, reductions in soil
837	821		compaction, and use of appropriate soils with low runoff potential
838	822		and high infiltration rates;
839	823		5. Appropriate tree siting and maintenance f or vegetation
840	824		management practices and programs to preve nt vegetation from
841	825		interfering with or damaging utilities and public facilities;
842	826		6. Native species and nonnative, nonnaturalized species
843	827		diversity selection to reduce disease and pests in urban fores ts;
844	828		7. Tree maintenance;
845	829		8. Street tree installation a nd maintenance;
846	830		9. Tree and vegetation buffers for riparian areas, critical
847	831		areas, transportation and utility corridors, and commercial and
848	832		residential areas;
849	833		10. Tree assessments for new constructi on permitting;
850	834		11. Recommended forest conditions for di fferent land use types;
851	835		12. Variances for hardship and safety;
852	836		13. Variances to avoid conflicts with renewable solar energy
853	837		infrastructure, passive solar building design, and locally grown
854	838		produce; and
855	839		14. Permits and appeals.
856	840		F. The Department may consult with the Oklahoma Department of
857	841		Commerce in the process of providing technical assistance on issues
858	842		including, but not limited to, intersections between urban forestry
859	843		programs and growth management act planning.
860	844
861		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 17
862		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
	845	+	Req. No. 10881 Page 17 1
863	846		2
864	847		3
865	848		4
866	849		5
867	850		6
868	851		7
869	852		8
870	853		9
871	854		10
872	855		11
873	856		12
874	857		13
875	858		14
876	859		15
877	860		16
878	861		17
879	862		18
880	863		19
881	864		20
882	865		21
883	866		22
884	867		23
885	868		24
886	869
887	870		G. The Department may use existing and develop additional
888	871		innovative tools to facilitate successful implementation of urban
889	872		forestry programs including, but not limited to, comprehensive tool
890	873		kit packages (tree kits) that can easily be s hared, locally adapted,
891	874		and used by cities, counties, tr ibes, and community stakeholders.
892	875		H. The Department must encourage communities to include
893	876		participation and input by vulnerable populations through community
894	877		organizations and members of the public f or urban and community
895	878		forestry plans in the regions whe re they are based.
896	879		I. Delivery of resources must be targeted based on the analysis
897	880		and prioritization provided in Section 8 of this act.
898	881		SECTION 10. NEW LAW A new section of la w to be codified
899	882		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3040 of Title 2, unless there is
900	883		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
901	884		A. The Department shall manage the application and evaluation
902	885		of candidates for evergreen community designation.
903	886		B. The Department shall develop the criteria for an everg reen
904	887		community designation program. Under this program, the state may
905	888		recognize as an evergreen community a city, county, or area of
906	889		tribal land that has developed an excellent urban forest managemen t
907	890		program.
908	891		C. Designation as an evergreen community mus t include no fewer
909	892		than two graduated steps. The Department may require additional
910	893
911		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 18
912		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
	894	+	Req. No. 10881 Page 18 1
913	895		2
914	896		3
915	897		4
916	898		5
917	899		6
918	900		7
919	901		8
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929	911		18
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934	916		23
935	917		24
936	918
937	919		graduated steps and establish the minimum requirements for each
938	920		recognized step.
939	921		1. The first graduated step of des ignation as an evergreen
940	922		community includes satisfaction of the following requirements:
941	923		a. the development and implementation of a tree board or
942	924		tree Department,
943	925		b. the development of a tree care ordinance ,
944	926		c. the implementation of an urban forestry progra m with
945	927		an annual budget of at least Two Dollars ($2.00) for
946	928		every city resident,
947	929		d. official recognition of Arbor Day, and
948	930		e. the completion of or update to an existing urban
949	931		forest inventory for the city, county, or tribal land,
950	932		or the formal adoption of an inventory developed for
951	933		the city, county, or tribe by the Department.
952	934		2. The second graduated step of designation as an evergreen
953	935		community includes the adoption of an urban forestry management
954	936		plan. The management plan must:
955	937		a. exceed the minimum sta ndards determined by the
956	938		Department, and
957	939		b. incorporate meaningful community engagement from
958	940		vulnerable populations located in the area so needs
959	941		and priorities of these communities inform
960	942		implementation of the plan.
961	943
962		-	HB4403 HFLR Page 19
963		-	BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments. 1
	944	+	Req. No. 10881 Page 19 1
964	945		2
965	946		3
966	947		4
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987	968
988	969		D. The Department shall develop gateway signage and logos for
989	970		an evergreen community.
990	971		E. The Department may consult with the Oklahoma Department of
991	972		Commerce in carrying out the requirements of this section.
992	973		SECTION 11. This act shall become effective November 1, 2022.
993	974
994		-	COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT,
995		-	dated 03/02/2022 - DO PASS, As Amended.
	975	+	58-2-10881 JL 03/02/22
	976	+
	977	+
	978	+