Legislative Updates
2018 Caucus Resolution Forms
Attending your party’s caucus Tuesday, February 6th? Take a moment and bring forth MNSTAC’s resolution for TREES! (You know what they say about the squeaky wheel). Let us know how it went by sending us an email: Outreach@mnstac.org. Thank you for speaking for the trees!
End of 2017 Legislative Session
The 2017 legislative session has ended, and so goes another year of our efforts. Through our Outreach team we connected with many key legislators throughout the state. While our efforts were unsuccessful yet again, our ability to continuously bring this issue to the conversation should not be understated. In the end, it came down to priorities and at this time, urban and community forestry did not fall in line with the current priorities for our state. Our efforts will continue next session. We will continue to need your voice to make our case to the local, state and federal decision-makers about the importance of our urban and community forests.
If you would like to host an Outreach meeting with your local officials please contact: Outreach@mnstac.org.
Until then, be a daily advocate for Trees!
If you would like to host an Outreach meeting with your local officials please contact: Outreach@mnstac.org.
Until then, be a daily advocate for Trees!
Updated 6/9/2017
EAB GRANT PROGRAM-We need your voice!
ACTION ALERT! Senate File 1688 is being heard in committee Monday, March 13th at 3:00 pm in the new MN Senate Building. This is the Senate companion bill to last week’s house bill - it will provide funding assistance to communities to manage emerald ash borer. This is the next important step in the process! Join us MONDAY, March 13th, 3:00-4:15, MN Senate Building Room 1150. (See the schedule here)
Senate members need to hear from you regarding this important issue. Please contact the leadership of the Minnesota Senate’s Agriculture, Rural Development, and Housing Finance Committee to let them know that another session MUST NOT go by without a grant funding program to assist communities in preparing and managing our community forests for EAB.
Contact the members below and let them know that EAB funding for cities is needed NOW!
Please contact:
The Committee Chair: Torey Westrom (R) 651-296-3826
The Committee Vice-Chair: Mark Johnson (R) 651-296-5782
The Ranking Minority Member (and co-sponsor on our bill-Thank her!): Kari Dziedzic (DFL) 651-296-7809
Senate members need to hear from you regarding this important issue. Please contact the leadership of the Minnesota Senate’s Agriculture, Rural Development, and Housing Finance Committee to let them know that another session MUST NOT go by without a grant funding program to assist communities in preparing and managing our community forests for EAB.
Contact the members below and let them know that EAB funding for cities is needed NOW!
Please contact:
The Committee Chair: Torey Westrom (R) 651-296-3826
The Committee Vice-Chair: Mark Johnson (R) 651-296-5782
The Ranking Minority Member (and co-sponsor on our bill-Thank her!): Kari Dziedzic (DFL) 651-296-7809
EAB Grant Funding for Communities
The MNSTAC Legislative team has been working hard, again this session, to advocate for our state’s community forests. As more and more areas of the state become infested with EAB, it is more critical now than ever to assist communities in managing this pest. At this time, there are two significant proposals in the legislature:
HF2031/SF1687
HF2032/SF1688
These bills would provide funding for communities in the form of matching grant programs for EAB management. We need support at all levels for these bills. Take a moment to contact your legislator and let them know that another session cannot go by without a significant investment in our community forests. There’s too much at stake.
Unsure of who your legislators are? Find them here.
HF2031/SF1687
HF2032/SF1688
These bills would provide funding for communities in the form of matching grant programs for EAB management. We need support at all levels for these bills. Take a moment to contact your legislator and let them know that another session cannot go by without a significant investment in our community forests. There’s too much at stake.
Unsure of who your legislators are? Find them here.
Updated 3-7-2017
Proposal to Create the Minnesota Ash Tree Preservation Program - Summary
In the spring of 2013, Dr. Robert Haight, an economist at the St. Paul office of the U.S. Forest Service, and three other scientists published a seminal report regarding the management of the invasive species, the emerald ash borer (EAB), which threatens every one of the billion ash trees in Minnesota. Their peer-reviewed analysis, known as the Kovacs Study, 2 concluded that a regional or landscape-based management and funding strategy would more effectively control the infestation in urban forests than an inconsistent, city-by-city response, or no response. Early in 2014, Jeffrey M. Hafner and J. Michael Orange worked with Dr. Haight to take the Kovacs Study conclusions a step further. They prepared a cost-benefit analysis of a statewide EAB management program they called the Minnesota Ash Tree Preservation (ATP) Program. The ATP Program they propose would include state-funded loans and grants for public entities that manage urban forests to enable them to develop and implement landscape-based EAB management plans for public ash trees. Read More
Updated 8-30-2016
It’s been a busy few weeks for the MNSTAC legislative subcommittee and I thought I would take a moment, as we get to the near end of the session, to update you on where we are with our EAB bill.
In March, Board member Jeff Hafner testified alongside Rep. Rick Hansen (the author of HF 2408) at the joint hearing of the House Agricultural Policy and Finance Committees. He was short on time, but was able to deliver an impactful presentation. There was no vote at this meeting, only an informational hearing. We now have 16 authors and have passed through the policy committee and was also heard in the finance committee. Not too bad for a rag-tag group of tree enthusiasts, that are minimally adept at lobbying!
We acquired a Senate author to our bill with Senator Dahle, representing District 20 (SE MN). He authored, due to some great work through the MNLA’s Day on the Hill and follow up from board member Barb Spears, SF 3174 a week after Jeff’s testimony. Last week, Vice President Karen Zumach and Jeff Hafner provided testimony to the Senate committee to which it was referred and now we are hoping to be heard in the Senate Finance committee soon.
Please consider contacting your representatives to let them know how important this bill will be to the future of our community forests. EAB isn’t going anywhere. Just this month, the City of St. Paul, Natural Resources Division reported that they have identified, in just the first three months of 2016 alone, FOUR times the amount of infested trees than they did in ALL of 2015. This is a predictable natural disaster and it’s going to take all of us to make a difference.
In March, Board member Jeff Hafner testified alongside Rep. Rick Hansen (the author of HF 2408) at the joint hearing of the House Agricultural Policy and Finance Committees. He was short on time, but was able to deliver an impactful presentation. There was no vote at this meeting, only an informational hearing. We now have 16 authors and have passed through the policy committee and was also heard in the finance committee. Not too bad for a rag-tag group of tree enthusiasts, that are minimally adept at lobbying!
We acquired a Senate author to our bill with Senator Dahle, representing District 20 (SE MN). He authored, due to some great work through the MNLA’s Day on the Hill and follow up from board member Barb Spears, SF 3174 a week after Jeff’s testimony. Last week, Vice President Karen Zumach and Jeff Hafner provided testimony to the Senate committee to which it was referred and now we are hoping to be heard in the Senate Finance committee soon.
Please consider contacting your representatives to let them know how important this bill will be to the future of our community forests. EAB isn’t going anywhere. Just this month, the City of St. Paul, Natural Resources Division reported that they have identified, in just the first three months of 2016 alone, FOUR times the amount of infested trees than they did in ALL of 2015. This is a predictable natural disaster and it’s going to take all of us to make a difference.
Update 4-13-2016