Public Comments for: HB549 - Trees; conservation and replacement during development process in certain localities, report.
I am writing to urge all committee members to support HB 549. Here in northern Virginia, we have lost large numbers of trees due to redevelopment. In my neighborhood, lot after lot is clear cut with no regard to the value of each tree or its placement on the lot. Last week, a lot three houses away was clear cut, including taking down a 150-yr Southern Red Oak that stood at the very corner of the lot; it would have presented no impediment to the builder. It is important, too, to include language from HB 995 that allows localities to identity and protect very large, old, or beautiful trees. With such a law in place, that 150 yr old oak might have been saved. Please help localities such as Vienna do more to save trees.
Testimony of Robert Benson in Support of HB 549, 2/6/26 Good morning. My name is Robert Benson. I live in Arlington and serve on the county’s Forestry and Natural Resources Commission. I am speaking in support for HB 549, Tree Conservation and Replacement During the Development Process. This bill as currently written will provide Virginia localities with the discretionary authority to write or amend tree ordinances to set standards for tree conservation and replacement when residential and commercial sites are developed. If utilized by a locality, this discretionary authority can be tailored reflect the unique priorities and circumstances of that city, county, or town. There are a number of reasons why this bill is necessary at this time. First, Virginia’s tree canopy is in crisis state wide. The Commonwealth has lost more than a half million acres of tree cover between 2013 and 2023, and the rate of loss is accelerating now as many developers continue to clear cut properties for construction projects, large and small. This loss of tree canopy has huge impacts on Virginia because trees provide far more benefits than just aesthetic beauty. Many studies have shown that trees provide essential environmental and habitat benefits, they improve the physical and mental health and well being of our citizens, and they provide major stormwater and flood mitigation benefits that can be more cost-effective than expensive hard infrastructure. Their cooling effects on urban and suburban heat islands can be particularly beneficial to middle- and low-income communities. Plus they clean our waterways, reduce our energy use, and increase our property values. While HB 549 will enable communities to take meaningful steps to protect and restore their valuable tree resources, the bill is definitely NOT anti-growth, because it enables localities to set tree conservation and replacement standards that are in balance with their economic priorities and are not excessively costly for developers. In fact, the bill has provisions for developers to request exceptions from local requirements in cases of economic hardship. It’s also very important to note that HB 549 will not adversely impact the affordable housing priorities of the Commonwealth. The alleged impact on affordable housing is an entirely false narrative put forward by the development community that is not supported by any credible evidence. In fact, residents of affordable housing will benefit greatly from designs that provide significant tree canopy, cooling shade, cleaner air, and effective storm water capture. There is a broad coalition of organizations across Virginia that have expressed their support for HB 549 and all that it seeks to achieve. This includes member organizations of the Virginia Conservation Network, local governments and tree commissions across the state, faith-based organizations, and some business groups. Chambers of Commerce recognize the reality that tree-rich communities are more desirable places to live and do business. The passage of this bill as it now reads, not scaled back to last year’s much less effective version, will be an important “win-win” outcome for Virginia’s environment and economy, and will be an investment in a healthy future for the Commonwealth. Thank you.
Please support this bill to give localities the power to prioritize their own health, happiness, and prosperity as stewards of their homes. Prioritizing trees in development plans must be mandated because it won't happen as a result of convenience or greed.
Chair and Members of the Committee, On behalf of Lynnhaven River NOW, Virginia Beach’s leading conservation and restoration organization dedicated to clean water and healthy coastal ecosystems, I urge you to support HB 549. In a coastal city facing heavier rainfall, recurrent flooding, and ongoing water-quality challenges, tree canopy is not just a “nice to have”- it is critical infrastructure. Trees intercept and slow rainfall, reduce polluted runoff, increase infiltration, and strengthen soils. In doing so, they directly support stormwater management and water quality, helping keep sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants out of our rivers, creeks, and bays. Protecting the canopy also helps prevent erosion, stabilizing land and shorelines, and reducing sedimentation that harms aquatic habitat. HB 549 strengthens Virginia’s ability to conserve and rebuild canopy during development in ways that align with our mission. Most importantly, it recognizes that statewide minimums should not be a ceiling. Virginia Beach needs the authority to set stronger canopy-replacement standards where justified by local conditions - especially in communities with significant flooding risk and stormwater obligations. HB 549’s approach gives localities the flexibility to pursue higher canopy outcomes to meet real-world needs, including resilience and watershed protection. Tree canopy also supports ecological diversity, providing habitat, connecting green spaces, and improving neighborhood health. In Virginia Beach, where our economy and quality of life depend on clean water and thriving coastal ecosystems, maintaining and expanding the canopy is a practical, proven investment. HB 549 is a commonsense bill that helps ensure growth does not come at the expense of the natural systems that protect our community. We respectfully ask you to report HB 549 and support its passage. Respectfully submitted, Lynnhaven River NOW
The alarming loss of mature trees in our towns, neighborhoods and parklands has got to stop. The trees are under so many challenges…. Climate , invasive insects, invasive vines, disease, and development. It is such a travesty to see large healthy trees cut down for the convenience of home building. We must protect and conserve the treasures and providers of so many eco services we take for granted.
HB549 addresses a climate and socioeconomic issue with a solution that provides additional tools to protect public health, improve water quality, strengthen climate resilience, and save taxpayer dollars. Preserving mature trees and investing in trees as infrastructural assets is essential. We need to reduce the impact of extreme heat and protects residents, especially in areas of lower economic income during heat waves and flooding. The additional benefits would be improving storm water management and water quality, as well as public health and life expectancy. Trees are vital to our existence on so many level both personally and economically. Please add a tool to enforcement by increasing penalties for violating tree canopy ordinances to $2,500.
Please support bill 549. Our local governments need the flexibility it would provide to require developers of new houses to replace the tree canopy that is routinely destroyed in a meaningful way. Trees are not just a 'private property' issue. Trees are a community resource. When they are needlessly removed, they affect the entire community in terms of bird and wildlife reduction and heat island effects.
Please let us work to protect our local tree canopy! Over the last 10 years, we have lost a significant portion of our tree canopy as older houses are sold and the lots cleared for easier construction of new houses. The result impacts the whole community, not just that land owner. Our streets have gotten so much hotter and our neighborhood is less inviting. Please give us the local control so that we can work together as a community to find the right solution - rather than have no option other than what the developers want.
I strongly support HB549 as a way to conserve energy resources, contribute to flood control and enhance urban livability, all of which offer long term economic benefits to Virginia citizens. Local jurisdictions understand how tree cover can best be maintained while also supporting appropriate development objectives. Please vote to pass this bill out of committee and, eventually, into law.
I support HB 549. Trees are essential for slowing climate change and providing shade in our increasingly hot summers. Too many developers have no profit incentive to preserve or replace trees, leaving neighborhoods barren and treeless and increasing temperatures, energy costs, and heat-related illnesses for citizens. Privately owned mature trees have benefits that reach far beyond property lines, from the comfort and safety of pedestrians passing under their shade to the cooler temperatures they bring to the whole neighborhood. We need tools to stop developers from clear-cutting these public resources--let's allow our local governments the power to conserve trees for the good of the community and the climate!
Please support HB549. Trees are meant to outlive us. They provide fresh air, habitat for wildlife and curb flooding and the creation heat islands. Developers should have to prioritize conservation of mature trees and preserving tree canopy for the benefit of everyone involved.
Trees not only improve the quality of life for the people who live near them, they also save our county and taxpayers money. When mature trees are removed by developers unnecessarily, it costs our community and future generations.
Trees are an important part of our ecosystem and provide many benefits. Developments hit the easy button and clear cut too much simply to make it easier for their planning. Maybe they’ll drop in a few junk non native trees afterwards and say they’ve replaced what they removed which is nonsense. A quantity replacement isn’t a quality replacement when the removed item were mature trees. Let the local governments have say in what happens to trees in their areas.
HB 549 Mature shade trees add value to property, not only monetarily but also for absorption of stormwater runoff, cooling and energy efficiency, carbon sequestration all the while improving air quality, especially for those with cardiovascular issues. We need to maintain our tree canopy across the state and this is one sure way to do it. Developers can build around and preserve mature trees using calculations that preserve the root zone. Let’s build resiliently to prevent flooding, conserve energy, and promote cardiovascular health. Let’s keep our trees standing! They beautify and add real estate value to properties. It’s a win-win.
HB549 will help maintain the healthy tree canopy needed for stormwater management, for reducing extreme heat, and for keeping our air clean. It is distressing how many important trees in our neighborhood have been cut down in order to build ever-larger houses. We need to push back on this kind of development to keep our community healthy. Please vote YES on SB549.
I see our rural forests being cleared daily, and not just the pine plantations. The loss of mature trees worsens flooding and increases erosion. This also affects carbon sequestration, essential to combating climate change. In the cities, tree loss intensifies dangerous urban heat as well. Our Commonwealth needs trees, especially native trees, to survive. Please support HB549.
Please support HB549 and protect our trees.
Please support HB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. This is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Currently we see our mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on HB549.
HB549 just says "one size doesn't fit all." Local jurisdictions would balance development needs with the known benefits of trees. A tailored approach, optimizing community benefits. Please support HB549.
Please support HB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. Since the zoning has been changed in Arlington, developers are quick to clear cut lots, even trees on the property lines, that do not need to be taken down to build what we eventually is constructed. Also, this is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on SB549
Arlington has a 40% canopy goal, which is critical to preserving biodiversity, carbon sequestering, erosion and flood control, and mental health for our residents and visitors. No one wants to live in a desert. I live in a low density residential area. Because Arlington has heavily developed its two metrorail corridors and has now expanded higher density to two additional corridors, we must obtain 60% tree canopy in the low density areas if we are to reach our goal. Development is the #1 threat, and Arlington has done its part to contribute well beyond its geographic weigh in providing new commercial and residential development, including providing taxes to the Commonwealth. Now we need the Commonwealth to help us preserve the most critical resource we have, our natural environment, our trees, and our keystone species. thank you
Our tree canopies are disappearing because of reckless construction in our community. Trees are important for our environment, our health, and our quality of life and provide important homes to the wildlife in our area. Communities should have the ability to protect trees from thoughtless removal that impacts neighborhoods. Many could be saved if construction companies would stop using clear cutting as their first step in building. Please support this bill!
Please support HB549 to strengthen standards for tree canopy replacement during development. This is an issue that I - and many people in my community - feel very strongly about.
I urge you vote yes on HB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. Our mature canopy trees are needed for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. In our locality mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Mature trees have economic benefits and will help maintain a healthy community. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue for my community and I urge you to vote YES on HB549.
Please support HB549 to strengthen community resilience by increasing the standards for tree canopy replacement during development, as directed by communities themselves. Air quality, stormwater management, and the health and well-being of residents should always come before developer interests! This bill is a step in the right direction toward prioritizing the health of both Virginia and Virginians.
Please consider the ramifications of this bill. We currently live in a neighborhood where an enormous housing project went in and didn’t leave a single tree. Not only did a displace many birds and animals. It has also added to the sound of the local roadway. Trees add so much. A noise buffer, a home to many birds and animals…and so much more. Please consider this wonderful Bill ! as it will make a great impact with further development. Thank you, Jackie
Please support HB549, it 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 ordinances to $2,500.
Please support HB549 and continue to grow our understandings of the benefits of strong and mature tree canopies in our state and communities. Trees are another of our vital partners in creating a healthy, stable and beautiful environment! The need for us to support nature rather than destroying it is paramount for the future health of our planet. Thank you!
While it is easier to clear cut land for development, it extracts a high cost to the environment and to the community. Replacing 50 year old oaks that support countless species of birds and insects with saplings is not an “even trade.” Please consider sustainable and environmentally friendly development practices. In the long run, they are economically better for the community.
Please support this bill. We need trees to help with the climate and wildlife. We need to preserve the older trees,.
SUPPORT HB549 I support HB549 because residents deserve the option to live in neighborhoods that prioritize their health and safety. Protecting and restoring tree canopy is a practical way to help reduce extreme heat, improve air quality, and reduce stormwater impacts, especially in neighborhoods that are already underfunded and high-burdened. While the health and safety of people should be the priority, this bill also makes sense for local government and the economy by reducing infrastructure costs.
I support this legislation.
I strongly support HB549. Mature tree canopy is an incredibly important natural resource. Trees protect the health of natural and human communities in numerous important ways, including by reducing flooding risk, offsetting the "heat island" effect, supporting biodiversity and natural food webs, and helping to filter damaging pollutants out of our air and water. Valuing and protecting our trees--particularly mature native trees--represents a significant investment in the wellbeing and quality of life of residents all across Virginia. Once lost, mature trees are not easily or quickly replaced. Please vote to let localities decide on the fate of their tree canopy cover. Thank you for your consideration.
I strongly support HB549. I have lived in Virginia for 10 years now, and the tree loss to development has been staggering. In one swipe, hundreds of mature trees are gone in the blink of an eye. Communities need to have input and basic safeguards need to be placed on development. Let's keep a few trees in Virginia, they are what makes Virginia so special! Trees keep our cities cool, our streets non-flooded, our air clean. Trees are a long term investment in our wellbeing and our quality of life. Trees mean lower risks of flooding and lower electricity bills. Let localities decide on the fate of their tree canopy cover. I strongly urge the committee to support this bill. Thank you for your consideration.
I strongly support House Bill 549, which gives Virginia localities the flexibility they need to conserve and restore tree canopy during development. Virginia has lost more than half a million acres of tree cover in the Chesapeake Bay watershed between 2013 and 2023, largely due to development and infrastructure expansion (according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation). Trees are essential infrastructure that reduce flooding, filter stormwater, protect streams from erosion, and cool neighborhoods, yet many local governments lack the authority to require meaningful tree replacement when canopy is removed. HB 549 provides a balanced approach by empowering localities to establish stronger tree replacement standards while incentivizing the preservation of healthy, mature trees, helping protect residents, green spaces, waterways, and the long-term resilience of communities across the Commonwealth.
I strongly support House Bill 549, which gives Virginia localities the flexibility they need to conserve and restore tree canopy during development. Virginia has lost more than half a million acres of tree cover in the Chesapeake Bay watershed between 2013 and 2023, largely due to development and infrastructure expansion (according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation). Trees are essential infrastructure that reduce flooding, filter stormwater, protect streams from erosion, and cool neighborhoods, yet many local governments lack the authority to require meaningful tree replacement when canopy is removed. HB 549 provides a balanced approach by empowering localities to establish stronger tree replacement standards while incentivizing the preservation of healthy, mature trees, helping protect residents, green spaces, waterways, and the long-term resilience of communities across the Commonwealth.
I support HB 549. We have suffered tremendous tree loss in Vienna due to development/teardowns, sidewalk renovations and Dominion Energy aggressively felling trees along the W&OD that bisects our town. HB 549 would allow us to modify our local tree ordinance to require a restoration of the target canopy within 10 years instead of 20 years. As other commentators have noted, trees are not just a luxury. They perform valuable functions like stormwater retention, reduce heat island effects, improve water quality and support wildlife. Please give us this tool to help preserve more trees and promote the planting of more trees!
I am writing in support of HB549. Our cities and localities need better tools to protect our tree canopy. From the analysis by the Chesapeake Bay Program, between 2014 and 2021, my City of Chesapeake lost 831 acres of tree canopy, primarily to development. In the same period, the City of Virginia Beach lost 1666 acres. And these loses were repeated in locality after locality. Current state law caps the maximum tree protection that city's can apply during development. We need to do better. And protecting trees is not mutually exclusive from creating affordable housing. When we build affordable housing, we also create a healthy community. The benefits of trees are very well documented - reducing urban heat, reducing cooling costs, reducing stormwater runoff and flooding, improving air quality, helping mental health, reducing crime, calming traffic, reducing noise pollution, protecting biodiversity. The law today limits the tree canopy in multi-familiy developments to 15% tree canopy - and that is at maturity after 20 years; when the development is new, the actuall tree canopy is much less. We need trees in our community. Everyone loves trees. But we keep cutting them down at an unsustainable pace. HB549 will give cities, town, and counties the ability to do better. Please pass this bill. Thank you, Rogard Ross President, Friends of Indian River
Vote yes on legislation that would require restructuring and development companies to replant trees that are removed during construction and to plant additional trees once renovations are complete. Trees are essential to our communities. They improve air quality, reduce stormwater runoff, lower urban temperatures, support wildlife, and enhance the health and well-being of residents. As development continues to grow, it is critical that we balance economic progress with environmental responsibility. Requiring tree replacement and post-project replanting is a practical, forward-thinking solution. It allows necessary development to proceed while ensuring that our natural resources are protected for future generations. Sustainable building practices strengthen our communities, protect property values, and demonstrate long-term stewardship of our environment.
This is a common sense bill that will help our city be more climate resilient, protect air quality, provide food and shelter for wildlife, absorb storm water runoff, and many other benefits. I have been personally affected by the destruction of developers as one completely bulldozed an old growth forest on the lot adjacent to mine to build a house. Without the trees we now have runoff and erosion on our slope as well as more extreme heat in summer. Please protect our trees, we can’t live without them.
Please vote YES to this proven 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. This is critically important to human health as well as environmental protection.
The Richmond Tree Stewards urge you to support HB 549. By allowing local governments to require tree canopy cover goals to be met by developers within 10 years rather than 20, this bill would have positive impacts across a variety of realms, including but not limited to the environmental, public health, economic, and infrastructure arenas. Prioritizing the conservation of existing mature trees, as this bill does, would be particularly important for communities across Virginia because the benefits derived from trees increase with age and size. It often takes years for a newly planted tree to begin to meaningfully create shade, mitigate heat islands, minimize runoff, and filter the air, and it takes decades to fully recreate the lost benefits of a mature tree. In the short term, it can take over 40 newly planted trees to replace the lost value of a mature tree. Trees are not a luxury; they are a critical element of infrastructure. The presence of trees mitigates urban heat, manages stormwater, and improves water quality. Working to preserve trees and replace them when necessary is necessary for sustainable development and long-term community welfare. Passing HB 549 is an important first step in allowing local governments to treat trees as the public assets that they are. Please support HB 549.
Not all trees are performing ecosystem services the same way. A large body of research tells us that mature trees perform services like rainwater interception & uptake, carbon storage, air purification, soil stabilization, microclimate regulation/extreme heat mitigation, and others much more efficiently and at vastly higher rates than newly planted saplings. In the developed/urban canopy, where tree regeneration is slow and must be deliberately enabled by humans, and where many of our mature trees have already been culled, protection and retention of mature trees during development is crucial for protecting valuable ecosystem services as well as community well-being. This bill promotes sound, common sense policy that is firmly grounded in science and community health research. Strongly support passage of this bill!
Please pass this bill. Trees are essential, not just for good ol' air CO2 removal, but overall air quality. Marginalized communities deal with enough pollution as it is, due to placement of factories, power plants and landfills. Having more - and healthier - trees will reduce pollution in the air as trees can clean the air in and of themselves. Not to mention, "heat islands" in the cities need more shade. Nature and vegetation naturally improves mental health for people as well, which will make people more productive in their day-to-day lives, and can bring communities together. And this will gobble up a lot of water to reduce flooding, and block pollution runoff into the already-polluted water sources.
Please support SB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. This is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Currently we see our mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on SB549.
Please support SB549 as it is critical to maintaining a healthy tree canopy, especially in semi-urban areas such as Arlington, VA. This is critical for stormwater management, for reducing occurrences of extreme heat, and for clean air. Currently we see our mature canopy trees being clear-cut for development, making our communities less healthy and adding to public expenses of health emergencies and flooding. Local governments need the authority to respond to local conditions and issues. This is an important issue to my community and I urge you to vote YES on SB549.
Many residents in Richmond already face negative effects of development, including a large concentration of residents living in urban heat islands in Southside. Responsible development includes keeping residents (and trees) in mind when designing and constructing. Richmond residents deserve infrastructure that supports reduced heat and flooding, not developments that make the problem worse. They aren't "just trees," they are integral pre-existing infrastructure that needs to be considered and protected.
Trees (particularly native tree species) are essential infrastructure. They cool the surrounding environment, provide shade for humans, reduce storm water runoff, are beautiful, reduce erosion, and provide food and cover for essential insects, pollinators, and other wildlife. Trees are also essential in allowing rain to move inland from the coast and make a huge difference in shaping our local climate. We NEED to prioritize the maintenance of a tree canopy during lot development.
As polls, "top places to live" lists, and real estate prices demonstrate, people want to live in places with green space, and mature trees. Having attractive green space in a city, town, or county, doesn't just "happen". It takes planning, funding, and laws and regulations to make it happen. In other words, it takes INTENTION. I support the passage of HB549. While writing this I keep thinking of the lyrics from the Joni Mitchell song Big Yellow Taxi- They paved paradise And put up a parking lot With a pink hotel *, a boutique And a swinging hot spot Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone
Please support HB549. Localities throughout Virginia should have the authority to set tree preservation and replacement standards to conserve mature trees during development. Preserving existing canopy protects the health of Virginians by mitigating heat islands and flooding. It also preserves the unique beauty of our landscapes and habitat for the pollinators that are essential for food production.
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.Â
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.
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.
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.
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.
🚨BREAKING: Governor Ron DeSantis says he will allow Florida voters to vote to ABOLISH PROPERTY TAXES. Do it EVERYWHERE! "If you own your home, to truly OWN it, you have to own it FREE and CLEAR of the government - you shouldn't have to pay rent to the government!" "We're gonna place a question on the BALLOT that is gonna allow Floridians to vote themselves relief from property tax." "Your personal home, we really believe, should not be subject to tax. It's an unrealized gain." "People say, 'that can't be done.' My question is, why can't it be done? [Broward] County, Florida. 1.9 million people. NO net population growth over the last 5 years, but the budget has increased 60%!" Democrats and Socialists are taxing us to death and destroying our country. Virginia will suffer just like Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington State, Colorado, and California.