BILL NUMBER: S2353
SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law and the state finance
law, in relation to enacting the "New York urban and community tree
planting and forestry program act"
 
PURPOSE:
This legislation amends the environmental conservation law and the state
finance law, in relation to enacting the "New York urban and community
tree planting and forestry program act"
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the
"New York urban and community tree planting and forestry program act".
Section 2: Article 9 of the environmental conservation law is amended by
adding a new title 23.
Section 3: The state finance law is amended by adding a new section
99-qq.
Section 4: This act shall take effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Trees are essential for climate change and climate justice in ways that
many New Yorkers are unaware of. With the implementation of a statewide
tree planting and forestry program, New Yorkers will be better educated
and equipped to take advantage of that plenary ecological, health and
climate associated benefits of trees. The benefits of trees include, but
are not limited to:
1. Positive impacts on air pollution mitigation, flood reduction, heat
island mitigation, carbon storage, and wildlife habitats.
2. Improvement of air quality by trapping and removing particulate
pollutants, like dust, ash, pollen and smoke, which can damage human
lungs.
3. The presence of trees provides increases in value to properties for
individual homeowners, commercial property owners, and municipalities.
4. Trees reduce the amount of energy needed to heat or cool our build-
ings.
5. Trees take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
6. Greater tree canopy reduces the rate of childhood asthma. An increase
of 343 trees per kilometer was associated with a 29% lower early child-
hood prevalence of asthma in New York City.
In particular, underserved and urban communities of NYC are the ones
mostly impacted from the lack of tree planting and are thus more suscep-
tible to global warming. Shade from trees can prolong can cool communi-
ties and minimizes the heat load of asphalt, lessening the blow in urban
environments.These mostly African-American and Latino communities bear
the disproportionate brunt of the urban heat effects of climate change,
which was highlighted in NYC this summer with two week long heat weaves.
This act requires that at least 40% and no less than 45% of all program
benefits go to underserved communities. This is why this legislation is
most pivotal for New York.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024- S5759-REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
2021-22: S9586 - Referred to Rules
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.