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ESFPA SFY 2024 Legislative and Budget Ideas to Consider

ESFPA has been pulling together legislative and budget ideas for consideration in the 2024 budget and legislative process.  Drawing on previous requests and recommendations included in the Climate Scoping Plan, we are working on a list of ideas to think broadly and creatively about the potential to advance policy priorities for forests and wood products.

We realize that the budget outlooks for New York are very challenging, but there are opportunities within the Environmental Protection Fund, the Clean Air, Clean Water and Green Jobs Bond Act as well as in select budget lines that could be used in SFY 2024.  There are also some legislative ideas that could advance at little or no costs.

Climate

We continue to focus on climate and forests and wood products as a natural solution to climate change.  85% of carbon sequestration and storage comes from public and private forests lands with an additional 6% from carbon stored in wood products.  75% of carbon storage and sequestration comes from private forest lands and delivers at scale across the state.

  • Monitor Progress and Advance Forest Science and Technology
    • EPF line to fund New York support to the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot data, with a focus on forest soils and below ground carbon.
    • EPF line to support statewide LIDAR, leaf on and leaf off flights, and 5–7-year updates.
    • Mitigate Carbon Emissions by Protecting Forest Lands
      • Adopt a “Keep Forests as Forest Law”
      • Adopt a new RPTL 480-C
      • Acknowledge the role of private forest conservation as part of 30 x 30.
      • Avoid Forest Land Conversion
        • Prioritize easements for State acquisition in the Bond Act.
        • Easements for Land Trust and Community Forest funding in the EPF and Bond Act at scale.
        • Amend and strengthen the Right to Practice Forestry Law.
        • Mitigate impacts from renewable energy and transmission siting on forests:
          • Solar Score Card refinement.
          • Forest mitigation fund.
          • Assist Landowners in Implementation of Sustainable Forest Management and Mitigation Strategies
            • Technical assistance to private forest landowners through S&WCDs funded in the EPF.
            • Establish a program for payment of Ecosystem Services.
            • Amend RPTL 480-A and adopt RPTL 480-B and 480-C.
            • Support Local Communities in Forest Protection and Management
              • Fund EPF line for Community Forests at scale ($1 million in 2023)

Forest Health and Sustainable Forest Management

  • Enhance Regenerate New York
    • Funding at scale ($500,000 in 2023)
    • Get out of Grants Gateway and fund through S&WCDs
    • Prevent Forest Pests, Diseases and Invasive Species and Restore Degraded Forests
      • Amend 6NYCRR Part 575
      • Fund Regenerate NY at Scale and make invasive treatments a priority.
      • Define “degraded forests”.

Markets

  • Expand Markets for Sustainably Harvested Wood Products
    • Advanced Building Code changes on embodied carbon and use of wood in construction.
    • NYS agency low carbon procurement requirements (DHCR, NYCHA, Dormitory Authority, Thruway Authority, DOT, etc.
    • Advance Bio-based Products, Research, Development and Deployment and Demonstration
      • Increase the EPF Line for Wood Products Development Council ($200,000 in 2023)
      • Increase the EPF line for Climate and Applied Forestry Research Institute (CAFRI) and expand to include Paul Smiths College. ($1 million in 2023)
      • New EPF line for the Bioeconomy Development Institute at SUNY ESF.
      • Provide Financial and Technical Assistance for Low-Carbon Product Development
        • Adopt a program for Bio-development Opportunity Zones.

Wildlife

  • Develop Policies and Programs to Reduce Risks Threatening Ecosystems and Biodiversity
    • Adopt RPTL 480-B
    • Increase funding for State and Land Trust Conservation Easements.
    • Adopt policies in 30x30 that recognize the role of connectivity and biodiversity on private forest lands.
    • Expand and increase funding to the Biodiversity/Landowner Habitat Conservation Program.

Workforce

  • Develop Forestry Training Programs to Support and Expanding Workforce and Climate Knowledge
    • Fund New York Logger Training for Trained Logger Certification ($250,000)
    • Promote carbon storing materials in buildings and infrastructure by funding outreach to developers, engineers, and architects.
    • Develop a program and certification for Climate Smart Foresters.