Chief Patron: Subramanyam
Directs a Study of Tree Canopy Loss due to Road Construction

Item 436 #1s

Language
Page 485, line 40, strike "$33,403,529" and insert "$33,903,529".

Page 485, after line 47, insert:

"Out of this appropriation, $500,000 the first year from the general fund is provided to the department to conduct a study of tree canopy loss due to road construction. The study shall also identify turf areas that could be reforested to mitigate tree canopy loss for the purposes of achieving the Commonwealth's commitments under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. In conducting its study, the Department of Transportation (VDOT) shall (i) produce statewide mapping of existing forest cover and tree canopy on VDOT-owned parcels; (ii) compare the 2014–2018 dataset against the 2018–2022 dataset, using the Chesapeake Bay Program 1-meter land use and land cover dataset that identifies forest loss in acres; (iii) identify acres of turf that have the potential to be reforested; and (iv) create a restoration plan to mitigate lost forest cover and urban tree canopy. Technical assistance shall be provided to the Department of Transportation by the Department of Forestry and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Transportation for this study, upon request. The Department of Transportation shall submit to the Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources and the Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations no later than December 1, 2024."