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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0988.004 2018-2020Ath-7114-11 Ot Law - Council of the County of Hawal'i Aupuni Street Hilo- HI 967'10 July 7. 20'")0. 9 a.m. Re: Bill 178 Aloha [,-Iaxvai'l County Council members. am writing to express my eery strong support for Bill 178 which amends and updates the Hawai, i county code for native forest dedications. The current county code for native forest dedications was designed to encourage propertx owners to protect and preserve existing native Z:I - - - forests Ior a period of at least 20 -years. These provisions pro%lided an excellent start for native forest stek-vardship. and now is the time to amend the code with provisions that will also support native forest restoration pro . iects in line With the public's interest in native forests and the many benefits that native forests provide. The cut -rent code has one tNI)e of forest dedication such that an ow-ner may dedicate land where - 60% of the forest cover Is native forest and 2, /0 of that co\!eraQcis tree cover. This provision xvorks well when the property o%k-ner is fortunate enough to have an existino, native forest and the owner agrees to dedicate that portion of the property for at least 20 years. Since 2004. the count -has approved 129 native forest dedications which span 69.202) acres. HoweE,er. in rnanv cases. the land. the '5ina.!cannot Support a native forest restoration project due to a variety of conditions that have compromised its viability. including but not limited to soil deg=radation and depletion. loss of grround�\i-ater resources. invasive species overrun. loss Of windbreaks. and so forth—all of which can make the restoration of a native forest and all of its accompanying benefits difficult if not impossible to achelve. To data. zero restoration projects have been started under the native forest dedication option. -1-0 contend ,vith these challenvin2 circumstances. Bill 178 recommends the addition oftWo IIeNIV cateLiones- *functional forest" and '"Successional forest." The functional forest combines native and noir-iiatixl;e,'iion-inx-asive species in an optimum way to restore and maintain the forest and still �tenerate the many benefits of pure native forest restoration. The functional forest may either serve as a stepping -stone to a full native forest restoration project. or it rnav be the end goal of a preservation or restoration project. depending upon the condition of the property. The successional forest catcoory is designed to protect native forest development on lava lands C, first started. This prop Aision Would give the property _ where the island's Iorest deN elopment th ' I o,tvner the option of'dedicating lava lands for the purpose of restoring the native forest. and would give a viable choice to landowners in lieu of development. E',- 1--, Tzf -, 1 - Eo, i t' f 1 \,� i r: \ i - '_� 1 , i,, t-, 7,-*- i, i i - i i ', V/Pc/ bill 118 COMR. q 88 Comm. No.. qu. Ref. To: V I f-6 RA Date JUL01 ZOZ Next, Bill 178 ad1usts the timing of dedication assessment benefit. Under the currentcode. Z_ - the property owner would begin to receive the native forest assessment benefit on]v once the requirements to qualify for native forest dedication were fully reached. In the cases of I a restoration project. this mi tylit take 5-10 years on average to achieve. and would result in considerable costs to the landowner without anv offsettina tax benefit. The proposed amendment would apply the native forest assessment once the county approves the property owner's native forest restoration plan and conlit-his the viabilivy of thy: project. This chanoe would provide a small but meaningful ad Justrileni that signals the countv*s interest in restoration projects. Fipally. Bill 178 calls for an improvement in the assessment rate for native forest dedications. Native forest preservation and restoration projects incur considerable costs and dedication from the, landowner. Unlike other auricultural dedications. the native forest dedication will not generate income for the property owner. In addition. the dedication ties up the property through the dedicated period and effectively lowers the value of the property for that time. An improved assessment rate helps in a modest way to offset costs and sionals that the count -y- supports the protection and restoration of native forests. As a public-private partnership, Bill 178 would underscore the county's interest in taking care of our land and in putting policy in place to support native forest preservation and restoration. The cost to the county would be approximately S I 2.000/year to start. and we anticipate a very modest increa,se in the number of new dedications due to the cost to the landoxxiier and the commitment required to set aside land for the full dedication period. ThrOL111fll the property owner's investments and elbow grease. the entire county benefits by the mane ecological services and cultural richness provided by native forests, including but not limited to tiroundwater restoration. erosion control and' coral reel'protection, native habitat restoration for plants and animals. carbon sequestration. climate change abatement, and overall peace of mind for the '5ina and all of us lucky enough to live here. I therefore urge you to support these amendments to protect what we have and restore what we7ve.lost. F�or your reference. I've included a short list of state and county policy decisions that shows that the restoration of native forests is a prlorltNi for Hawaii and Ha,%\*"ai-,i count,\,. Very best reeards. Leslie Cole -Brooks Resources and Lealistative Sup ort ffil- 1. Hawaii State Constitution i 1978) Art. X1, Section 9 states "*Each person has the right to a clean and healthy environment, as defined by laws relating to environmental quality. including c6ntrol of pollution and conservation. protection, and enhancernlent of natural resources.'* -1. Flawal'i State Motto "Ua -Mau ke Ea o ka 'Aina i ka Pono" "The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness" 3. Efavvail State Legislation Ac ' t I " 5 ' (7'01 8) Act 15 sets a statewide target of Carbon neutrality bv- ?045. Act 15 establishes a statewide target for carbon neutrality such that the State sequesters more atmospheric and greenhouse gases than ernitted by 2045. Act .32 (2017). Act ")? sets vriorities to combat climate change. Act 32 Recounizes th-at climate chanue is real and poses a serious threat to fJa\\--an*S eCO110MV, SUStainability. and natural resources. In Act 37) the State committed to expanding strategies and mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide. striving to communicate long-term lots greenhouse gas emission development strateoies. and taking actions to conserve and enhance lonu-term sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse oasses, by prioritizing the development of parks. greenwaN s. and restoration of native upland and coastal forest and wetlands. Act 3.2 also commits to alionino state Ovals \v th the goals described In the 1015 Paris Aareernent. 4. 14a\val-'i C-ounty Council (Resolution 3?? -19 (20191. Resotution 3?? -19 recognizes that the existential climate emergency threatens hurnanitv and the natural world. The Count%-, oC Ffawai`i theret'ore will implement a just. equitable. COUntVwide erneruencv climate mobilization effort to reverse ulobal rearming. by drastically redLIC111L, COUntyWide emissions of carbon dioxide and areenhOUSe gases. and safely drawing down carbon fi-onl the atmosphere no later than 2030. while accelerating adaption and resilience strategies in preparation Cor intensif-ving climate change impacts. In addition, Resolution 322%19 commits to establish ambitious QOaIS consistent with or exceeding State (zoals and objectives and work immediately to implement the paths laid out in the Ffa%vai'i Island Climate Action plan that includes pliasini-Y out existing sources ot'greenhouse uas emissions and implementing initiatives such as tree planting to. sequester carbon from the air.