Bill Title: Creates the Legacy Tree Program Task Force Act. Provides that the Legacy Tree Program Task Force shall establish recommendations to promote the identification, awareness, commemoration, and preservation of significant trees within the State. Sets forth provisions concerning the membership of the Task Force, compensation of members, support to the Task Force, and responsibilities of the Task Force. Provides that the Act is repealed on June 30, 2034.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7)
Status: (Passed) 2024-08-09 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-0863
[HB5488 Detail]Download: Illinois-2023-HB5488-Chaptered.html
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| Public Act 103-0863
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| HB5488 Enrolled | LRB103 37550 JAG 67674 b |
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AN ACT concerning conservation.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, |
represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Legacy |
Tree Program Task Force Act.
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Section 5. Findings; purpose. |
(a) The General Assembly finds that: |
(1) Trees are essential to ecological, cultural, and |
economic life on Earth. |
(2) Trees support species diversity, food webs, |
habitats, and numerous ecological processes, such as water |
and air purification. |
(3) Trees assist in regulating climate and soil |
fertility. |
(4) The State must commit to preserving and |
celebrating our legacy and heritage trees and must develop |
pathways for the public to advocate for the preservation |
of trees in communities. |
(b) The General Assembly intends this Act to help create a |
Statewide legacy tree program to promote the identification, |
awareness, commemoration, and preservation of significant |
trees within the State.
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Section 10. Legacy Tree Program Task Force. |
(a) The Legacy Tree Program Task Force is created, shall |
meet on a quarterly basis for 4 years after the effective date |
of this Act, and shall, by no later than June 30, 2028, submit |
to the General Assembly, in accordance with Section 3.1 of the |
General Assembly Organization Act, a report that contains the |
final recommendations developed under subsection (b). |
(b) The Legacy Tree Program Task Force shall establish |
recommendations for the creation of a statewide legacy tree |
recognition program to promote the identification, awareness, |
commemoration, and preservation of significant trees in the |
State. |
(c) The Task Force shall consist of the following members: |
(1) one representative of an environmental |
organization, appointed by the Governor; |
(2) one representative of the Morton Arboretum, |
appointed by the Governor; |
(3) the director of the Illinois Environmental |
Protection Agency or a representative of their choosing; |
(4) one representative of the Illinois Forestry |
Development Council, appointed by the Governor; |
(5) one representative of the Shawnee National Forest, |
appointed by the Governor; |
(6) one representative of the Southern Illinois |
University Department of Forestry, appointed by the |
Governor; |
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(7) one representative of the University of Illinois |
Extension forestry program, appointed by the Governor; |
(8) one representative of an association that |
represents Illinois arborists, appointed by the Governor; |
(9) two representatives of the Department of Natural |
Resources, appointed by the Governor; |
(10) one representative of an environmental |
organization that is different than the organization in |
paragraph (1), appointed by the Governor; |
(11) one representative of the Chicago Urban Forestry |
Board, appointed by the Governor; |
(12) one representative of a forest preserve district |
in a county that is adjacent to Cook County, appointed by |
the Governor; |
(13) one representative of a forest preserve district |
located south of Interstate 80, appointed by the Governor; |
(14) one representative of a statewide organization |
representing park districts, appointed by the Governor; |
(15) one member of the House of Representatives, |
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; |
(16) one member of the House of Representatives, |
appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of |
Representatives; |
(17) one member of the Senate, appointed by the |
President of the Senate; and |
(18) one member of the Senate, appointed by the |
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Minority Leader of the Senate. |
(d) Members of the Task Force shall serve without |
compensation. |
(e) The Department of Natural Resources shall provide |
staff and administrative support services to the Task Force |
and serve as the lead and chair agency of the Task Force.
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Section 15. Responsibilities. The Task Force shall |
establish recommendations for the following: |
(1) criteria for a definition of legacy tree and |
legacy tree standards that can be used on a variety of |
trees; |
(2) criteria for which the historical and cultural |
significance of a tree could be measured; |
(3) procedures for nominating trees on public and |
private property; |
(4) exploring partnership opportunities with units of |
local government for oversight of the legacy tree program |
and participation in the program; |
(5) creating a public awareness program, including |
digital media, a website, a legacy tree tool kit and |
educational materials to be made available by the |
Department of Natural Resources for use by units of local |
government; |
(6) exploring funding sources for the operation and |
maintenance of the statewide legacy tree program, |
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including grant funding opportunities to facilitate |
participation in the program by units of local government; |
(7) procedures for withdrawing trees from the program; |
(8) procedures for legacy tree assessment; |
(9) procedures for how a tree would be designated or |
honored physically; |
(10) procedures for mapping trees on a searchable |
website; and |
(11) procedures for delisting a healthy designated |
legacy tree.
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