The state of California will join environmental groups in a lawsuit against the federal government to protect trees growing on levees. The state Department of Fish and Game announced Wednesday it will join the federal lawsuit, initiated earlier this year by Sacramento-based Friends of the River. The suit challenges a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers policy that bans trees on levees, on grounds that trees ...
read more

  Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 587 (Gordon and Furutani) on September 6th, which now extends the current prevailing wage exemption for volunteers through 2017.  This was the priority legislation for the urban forestry community this year, and is essential to preserving the rights of all Californians to donate their time and spirit to a spectrum of resource conservation activities, ...
read more

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced H.R. 2095, the Energy Conservation Through Trees Act, legislation that would support programs run by electric utilities that use targeted planting of shade trees in order to reduce residential energy demand.  This legislation will help homeowners lower their electric bills – and help utilities lower their peak load demand – by reducing residential energy demand ...
read more