I support the conservation of trees for the many good things that they do. Thank you for also supporting this bill.

Trees are natural resource that take so long to grow, and need to be respected as critical infrastructure. I am in favor of all possible ordinances against developers in order to protect our trees. The short term profit is not worth the long term community benefits.

I support HB549. The preservation of mature trees and replacement of trees lost during the development process is necessary for the reduction of urban heat islands, to improve air quality, and to protect wildlife.

This is the obvious choice for Virginia. Trees are our number one defense against extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality. Plus it makes HUMAN BEINGS healthier to be in places with ample trees and their shade. If development just concerned concrete and steel that would be one thing, but development concerns HUMAN BEINGS living and working and commuting and, hopefully, thriving. Without trees being considered in development we're leaving out the human aspect of development...TO OUR OWN PERIL. This bill must be passed.

This seems a no brainer and an integral part of not only keeping our community in better condition ecologically, but also keep it as a more 'desirable' place to live. It's common knowledge that the more 'green' a development is (aka lushly planted, vigorous tree canopy), the more tax payers want to live there. If you're unable to view this from a purely health/environmental perspective, then view the money side.

Mature trees must be protected to preserve habitat for wildlife and mitigate extreme weather. It takes years if not decades to regrow trees to maturity, so it is not enough for developers to cut them down and replant them - we must also protect the mature trees in these areas being developed.

Trees protect us from extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality — and local governments should have the tools to keep them.

Trees provide shade, keeping our streets cooler. Cooler temperatures mean less money spent on cooling in the summer. Trees help wildlife survive. Trees add to property value by providing beauty to neighborhoods. Please support this bill.

I am writing today in support of HB 549. Loss of mature trees in urban environments leaves communities more vulnerable to extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality. We are already experiencing extreme weather events and the further loss of trees does not help. Families living in highly burdened census tracts — where poverty and pollution overlap —experience hotter summers, higher asthma rates, and shorter life expectancies. More intense rain events driven by climate change are overwhelming stormwater systems, increasing flash flooding, property damage, and insurance costs for Virginia families. Reduced tree canopy is linked to higher rates of emergency room visits and health emergencies, particularly among Black residents and other historically overburdened communities. It is imperative that local and state governments be required to preserve or replace trees during the development process. It is very important for the future health of the Commonwealth, our children, and the earth. I urge you to consider a requirement of development sites to meet specified tree canopy or tree cover targets at a minimum within 10 years maximum, sooner as practical. We cannot delay. HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Please ... SUPPORT HB549 Wanda L. Reese Resident of Chesterfield County, Virginia

SUPPORT HB549 Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. Improves stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy.

I support HB549. Conservation and replacement of trees during development should be a common practice. Trees provide myriad benefits to people (e.g. shade, flood mitigation, CO2 emissions) and wildlife (primarily food and shelter).

I support HB 549, which would help communities across the Commonwealth of Virginia preserve their vital tree canopies. Higher tree canopies are associated with higher property values, better air quality, and better mental health. Communities should be allowed to preserve them.

We need a mechanism to protect private trees in Richmond. In the last decade, Richmond has lost a considerable percentage of its canopy to development. I am excited about the growth of our city, but would like it to be done equitably and sustainably. According to the recent CBF Tree Cover Status and change report, we lost 199 Acres of tree cover from 2014 to 2021.

I am a resident of Arlington County and I strong support HB549. Arlington is rapidly losing trees that cool neighborhoods, protect people's health, and controls stormwater runoff. HB549 would allow communities like Arlington greater power to protect these trees. Protecting tree canopies is also an environmental justice issue, since disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to have less tree coverage and are subsequently hotter. This means that this bill is very much compatible with the goals of equity and care for the environment.

I strongly support HP 549 that will give localities in dense urban and suburban areas an important tool to protect and expand their tree canopy coverage. In Arlington, on a daily basis we are losing mature trees--I am facing the loss of four mature trees due to redevelopment of the house next to mine. Trees cool our neighborhoods, manage stormwater runoff, filter pollutants, and improves physical and mental health. In addition, equitable distribution of tree canopy coverage is an environmental justice issue.  In Arlington, neighborhoods with a higher share low income and disadvantaged residents also have fewer trees and temperatures during the summer can be 10 degrees or more higher than in affluent and leafy neighborhoods. Including meaningful tree canopy coverage in all developments, and particularly for affordable housing projects, is not only compatible with expanding housing stock but the right thing to do. 

I am a medical student that is very concerned about our public health and I feel this bill (HB 549) is an excellent way to support public health through actionable support of green spaces, reducing extreme heat, and especially supporting our most marginalized groups. Thank you

This bill will allow local governments to require the preservation or replacement of trees during development. HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Richmond is known for its trees. Recent hurricanes which have ripped up thousands of trees and devastated some neighborhoods have shown us how precious they are. Trees sequester carbon, provide shade and food for wildlife. They take decades to grow, making them irreplaceable. I urge you to move forward this practical, common sense bill.

Too often development does not prioritize the preservation of old trees which provide numerous benefits to humans, wildlife, and the air quality alike. Please support this bill

Please protect the trees!

Here’s a polished, professional paragraph you can use: I strongly support HB549. As a professional ecologist, I recognize how essential mature trees are to the health and resilience of communities across Virginia. Trees provide critical ecosystem services—cooling neighborhoods during extreme heat, improving air quality, reducing stormwater runoff, supporting wildlife habitat, and enhancing overall quality of life for residents. Protecting existing canopy and ensuring meaningful replacement during development is a practical, science‑based approach that will benefit every Virginian, now and for generations to come.

I strongly support this bill to try to protect more large, old trees from developers. As a Richmond resident, I know urban and suburban trees prevent heat deserts, provide wildlife habitat, filter water, retain methane in the atmosphere, and add to the value of my home and neighborhood. Too often I’ve seen trees like a beautiful, very large one on my street in Libbie Mill midtown, be mowed down to build housing or retail (despite a hawk nest in its branches). Residents in historically minority neighbors also lose trees at a higher rate than elsewhere. Please set up more requirements about tree protection by developers to benefit us all.

Trees are an important part of healthy communities!! People want to thrive, not just survive. Planting trees is a smart investment! People like to live in neighborhoods with trees! More people = more trees.

I support this bill, but wish it went further in allowing localities to manage tree canopy within there jurisdictions. Painting the Commonwealth with a single brush stroke does not take into account how vastly different some are than others. The bill as drafted allows all localities to implement greater tree canopy requirements during development than current legislation, which is absolutely a step in the right direction. But it focuses on the number of units per acre to determine how great of a tree canopy requirement can be implemented. For a locality like the City of Richmond, residential density is quite high, but our need for trees is higher. I live in a community with small houses on small lots, which is also a heat island due to years of tree loss. It could easily support 25-30% tree canopy requirements, but under the draft legislation, the city could only require 10% tree canopy during development because of the zoned density per acre. What we really need is the ability to set the percentage of tree canopy based on our zoning districts the way we define them and not by the random measure of "units per acre." That way we can plan for and build the types of communities we want to live in. We are able to do it for the types of buildings through the zoning ordinance, so why can't we do it for the type of natural environment, too? We need more trees. We have already planted over 160 new street trees throughout our neighborhood, but we need hundreds more to improve the temperature and health outcomes for my neighbors. We need developers to help by recognizing when they come into our community that they have an impact and trees are an asset to everyone. Unfortunately, many seem only interested in what maximizes their profit. One recently cleaned an entire lot taking down the house (full of contents) and twelve mature trees as the first step of their project. Now they want to build two duplexes and while the plan submitted with the special use permit application shows the houses in great detail, it does not show a single tree being replanted. We need to have the ability as a city and as a community to say this is not acceptable no matter what the "unit per acre" density is. Again, I support this bill if it is the best we can do this year, but I know we can do better and allow localities to plan and manage their natural environment the same way we manage buildings, roads, water, sewer and other critical infrastructure. There is little infrastructure more critical than trees.

Please support HB549 regarding the conservation and replacement of trees during the development process. There are no requirements to consider the old growth trees when developing wooded property . Companies simply clearcut everything, to make it easier to build. It is important to conserve our old growth trees and incorporate as many as possible into the design. It takes a long time for baby trees to be as effective as the older one that were mowed down. We deserve better planning and efforts to increase the conservation of these older trees, many who have been around longer than you or I.

Comments Document

My name is Kami Blatt, and I am submitting this comment on behalf of Southside ReLeaf in strong support of HB 549. Southside ReLeaf works in communities across Southside Richmond that have faced decades of disinvestment and exclusion from environmental protections. These neighborhoods consistently have some of the lowest tree canopy coverage in the region and some of the worst health outcomes. In Southside Richmond, residents can expect to live nearly 20 years less than those in wealthier parts of the region. This gap is driven by factors such as extreme heat exposure, poor air quality, flooding, and limited access to green space. Tree canopy plays a critical role in addressing these disparities. Trees lower neighborhood temperatures during extreme heat, reduce harmful air pollution, manage stormwater and reduce flooding, and support both physical and mental health. In communities with limited tree coverage, residents are more vulnerable to heat related illness, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other climate related health risks. HB 549 is especially important because it prioritizes the protection of mature trees, which provide the greatest environmental and health benefits. Mature trees offer significantly more cooling, pollution reduction, and stormwater absorption than newly planted trees. Once removed, these benefits cannot be quickly replaced. When tree removal does occur, meaningful replacement is essential to ensure that canopy loss does not compound existing health and environmental harms over time. As climate change accelerates and extreme heat and storms become more frequent, the loss of tree canopy poses serious risks to community health and safety. Communities should not have to choose between development and their health or between economic growth and climate resilience. HB 549 takes an important step toward treating tree canopy as essential infrastructure. By protecting mature trees and strengthening replacement standards, this legislation helps ensure development does not further burden communities that are already overexposed to environmental and health risks. We ask that you pass HB 549 because protecting tree canopy is essential to public health, climate resilience, and community safety across the Commonwealth.

I strongly support Patrick Hope's HB 549. Between 2013 and 2023 Virginia lost over 500,000 acres of forest and tree canopy, and development has not been slowing down. Allowing localities additional authority to establish tree canopy goals such as shortening the time from 20 years to 10 years in which certain tree canopy cover percentages should be met at the development site will do a lot to stem tree loss in Virginia.

I strongly support HB549 because protecting and replacing trees is essential to public health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing.

I support this bill fully and wish it went even further to not restrict locality’s to enforce protection of existing trees and increase our tree canopy. This is a great start though.

Why This Matters Loss of mature trees in urban environments leaves communities more vulnerable to extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality. Families living in highly burdened census tracts — where poverty and pollution overlap — experience hotter summers, higher asthma rates, and shorter life expectancies. More intense rain events driven by climate change are overwhelming stormwater systems, increasing flash flooding, property damage, and insurance costs for Virginia families. Reduced tree canopy is linked to higher rates of emergency room visits and health emergencies, particularly among Black residents and other historically overburdened communities. Prepared by: Kami Blatt, Policy Specialist | kami@southsidereleaf.org Summary The bill extends authority, currently limited to Planning District 8, to all localities statewide, allowing local governments to require the preservation or replacement of trees during the development process. It also authorizes localities to establish higher tree canopy replacement standards based on factors such as development density, lot size, or other locally relevant measures. These standards are intended to reduce urban heat islands, collect stormwater pollution, improve air quality, and strengthen community resilience. Legislation includes several technical changes, such as requiring development sites to meet specified tree canopy or tree cover targets within 10 years rather than 20 years. Reasons to Support HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: SUPPORT HB549 Conservation and replacement of trees during development process. Bill Patron: Delegate Patrick Hope Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. Improves stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy. Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinance(s.) Please protect our tree canopy from development clearing by requiring the preservation AND timely replacement of vital cooling trees.

Tree canopies reduce extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves, which Richmond has seen quite an increase in the past decade.

Preserving tree canopy improves the health of communities and the people that live in them. Trees improve air quality and helps with storm water management. I work for a new home developer and we want to see better tree management and agree our industry can and should be forced by the municipalitues they build in to maintain or regrow trees displaced for development.

Bill HB549: Trees cool neighborhoods and cities - the difference is felt significantly between streets with mature tree canopy and streets without. I cannot imagine the discomfort and stress that gets added to an already too hot summer, when there is no shade to be found where we work and especially, where we live. Though I am fortunate to have moved to a tree-lined street, since my arrival here four years ago, five trees have died, four of those dead trees have been removed, NONE as yet have been replaced. It's alarming, unattractive, and I am now faced with the prospect of a summer with no tree to shade my apartment during the hottest parts of the day. Please, do whatever it requires to plant, replace, and prune (for health) more trees!

As president of Richmond Tree Stewards, I endorse HB549 for all of the health, ecological, economic and social benefits outlined by other supporters. Trees, whether on private or public property, have a fundamental and positive impact on the character, beauty, health, and even safety of a community. This legislation fills a gap in local government's ability to guide development while protecting our valuable tree canopy. H.B. 549 is a logical and necessary tool for localities seeking a balance between their natural and built environment. We ask your support.

SUPPORT HB549 This is a community driven effort to support the conservation and replacement of trees during development.

SUPPORT HB549 this is a community driven effort to support the conservation and replacement of trees during development. This measure would improve stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy. Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties

This bill will provide the authority needed across the Commonwealth for localities to reduce health hazards, stormwater runoff, higher temperatures (also known as the heat island effect), and increased energy costs for cooling in urban communities. It will also protect the old stock tree cover and aesthetic for which Virginia cities are known. This is a common-sense way to maintain the benefits we receive from trees and allow for the construction of new homes, businesses, and other facilities. I encourage you to vote in support of HB549.

Comments Document

HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: -Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. -Improves stormwater management and water quality. -Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. -Improves public health and life expectancy. -Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500. See more in prepared attachment.

SUPPORT HB549 HB549 is a practical, locally driven solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars — while addressing Virginia’s alarming loss of tree canopy. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets: Reduces extreme heat and protects residents during heat waves. Improves stormwater management and water quality. Saves local governments money and reduces infrastructure costs. Improves public health and life expectancy. Strengthens enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500.

HB 1234 Please facilitate the ease of employing solar canopies in parking lots for both cheap electricity and utilizing non-green space. HB 549 Please allow localities strong input in tree loss mitigation and replacement in development.

I strongly support HB549 because protecting and replacing trees is essential to public health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing across Virginia. The loss of mature tree canopy leaves neighborhoods more vulnerable to extreme heat, flooding, and poor air quality — impacts that fall hardest on low-income and historically overburdened communities. By giving local governments the authority to preserve trees and set stronger canopy standards, this bill provides a practical, locally driven tool to reduce urban heat islands, manage stormwater, and improve air quality. Trees are critical infrastructure, and HB549 helps ensure Virginia invests in them wisely and equitably.

Please preserve and replace trees during development. Please don't pave our paradise with bare dirt and parking lots.

I am a resident of a heat island in Richmond. Without the protection of tree canopy, temperatures in summer get hotter here than in wealthier areas of the region. It makes no sense for developers to remove all trees from an area just to replace them with non native plantings of one type of tree that will take decades to equal what was removed. This common sense approach will save localities the cost of mitigating flooding and poor air quality. Greater tree canopy protects public health and prevents things like overwhelming storm water runoff. Every community in the Commonwealth deserves this.

Comments Document

See attached.

I am writing in support of Del. Hope's efforts to preserve (and even enhance) vital tree canopy. My neighborhood (Cherrydale in Arlington VA) has seen the loss of much of our tree canopy through redevelopment of single-family homes and severe flooding has been a very clear result of this loss.