Sec. 2. Findings
293 words·~1 min read·
/bill/119/s/4403/is/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds that— the presence of a healthy and well-maintained urban forest can— support— the physical and mental health of community residents; the regulation of air quality; the mitigation of the urban heat island effect; the reduction of energy demand; and stormwater management; and provide other benefits; according to research of the Forest Service, the estimated value of benefits described in paragraph
(1)exceeds $18,000,000,000; the maintenance and management of an urban forest offers additional opportunities relating to workforce development, job creation, and enhancement of property values; urban forest canopy cover is inequitably distributed among racial groups and income levels, exacerbating disparities in exposure, for example, to the urban heat island effect and in related health risks or financial burdens relating to cooling; the effects of historical discriminatory policies, such as redlining, continue to have effects on urban environments; a recent analysis shows that— urbanized neighborhoods with mostly people of color have 33 percent less tree canopy on average than majority white neighborhoods; and low-income neighborhoods have 41 percent less tree cover than neighborhoods with low rates of poverty; additional analyses of cities in the United States found that— communities primarily inhabited by United States-born, white populations contain more than twice the urban forest canopy cover of communities primarily inhabited by racial and ethnic minorities; and there were elevated land temperatures in formerly redlined areas compared to their nonredlined counterparts, by an average 2.6 degrees Celsius and up to 7 degrees Celsius; and to reduce disparities in the enjoyment of the social, environmental, and economic benefits of healthy and well-maintained urban forests and manage risks relating to heat exposure and other urban stressors, the Federal Government should accelerate actions to enhance the health and resilience of urban forests, with investment in priority communities.