                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FORESTLAND AND URBAN TREE CANOPY CONSERVATION PLAN (§ 10.1-1103.1)

A. The Department shall establish a Forestland and Urban Tree Canopy
Conservation Plan (the Plan) to conserve the Commonwealth&#8217;s forestland and
incentivize the protection of forests and other similar sensitive natural areas
as an integral part of state forestry planning and the local comprehensive
planning process. The Plan shall be reviewed by the Board of Forestry. In
developing the Plan, the Department shall include elements determined by the
State Forester, including the following:

   1. Examine the current status and trends of forests and tree canopies in the
   Commonwealth;

   2. Identify challenges to forest health, forestland, and tree canopy
   conservation efforts, including land use, climate change, and invasive species
   and other challenges identified by the stakeholder group;

   3. Identify priority forests for conservation emphasizing protection of
   streams or wetlands, areas with steep slopes or highly erodible soils,
   wildlife corridors, and large contiguous blocks of forest;

   4. Develop forest-related and tree canopy-related goals;

   5. Identify current and potential funding streams and state and local entities
   that will be vital to achieve forest and tree canopy conservation goals; and

   6. Ensure consistency with the objectives of the Board of Forestry with
   respect to forest management, including forest protection, management, and
   replacement.

B. The Plan, reviewed by the Board of Forestry, shall be developed in
coordination with a Technical Advisory Committee that shall include
representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of
Wildlife Resources, Department of Conservation and Recreation, agricultural and
forestry industries, environmental and conservation organizations, local
governments, the Virginia Cooperative Extension, professional environmental
technical experts, residential and commercial development industries, and other
stakeholders as the Department deems appropriate.

C. The Department shall update the Plan at least once every five years and shall
reconvene the Technical Advisory Committee and seek input prior to approval of
any updates to the Plan. The Department shall hold a 30-day public comment
period on the Plan and any subsequent updates to the Plan. Following any such
update, the Plan shall be made available on its website and submitted to the
Governor and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and
Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and
Natural Resources.

HISTORY: 2024, cc. 278, 354.