Date: 2015-07-07
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. let me thank the committee. both the staff and the gentlewoman from Minnesota. the gentleman from California. and the gentleman from Idaho who are now managing this appropriations bill. I call this the good health appropriations for the quality of life of many Americans. both urban and rural. I ask my colleagues to consider my amendment. which deals with the urban reforestation program. I live close and personal to both urban areas and rural areas in my congressional district. Given close to 80 percent of the population of the conterminous United States lives in an urban area. the benefits provided by urban forests touch most U.S. citizens. My amendment specifically reinforces the importance of urban reforestation. as well as preserves our ability to return urban areas to healthy and safe living environments for our children. I offered these amendments in years past. I know it from a realtime experience. Over the last couple of years. when the drought hit Houston and many other areas in Texas. millions of trees were lost. Millions of trees were lost. Today. now. we face the large and very challenging effort of trying to reforest parks like Memorial Park. MacGregor Park. and many parks in the northeast part of my district. In the past 30 years alone. we have lost 30 percent of all of our urban trees. a loss of over 600 million trees. I have certainly seen neighborhoods in Houston benefit from urban reforestation. In fact. many Members will remember that throughout our careers. we have been involved in planting of trees. There are major efforts throughout our community. I want to cite. for example. those who have worked in Houston. Texas. doing the reforestation work: Houston Wilderness. Student Conservation Association. the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. the Greater East End Management District. Houston Parks and Recreation Department. and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. along with many civic clubs of which I have had the privilege of working with. Several years ago. American Forests. a leading conservation group. estimated that the treecovered loss in the greater Washington metropolitan area from 1973 to 1997 resulted in an additional 540 million cubic feet of storm water runoff annually. which would have taken more than 1 billion in storm water control facilities to manage. We know that the green effect in the middle of the city can have a beneficial effect on a communitys health. both physically and psychologically. A healthy 32foottall ash tree can produce about 260 pounds of oxygen annually. Trees help reduce pollution. Trees help combat the effects of greenhouse gases. Trees help cool down the overall city environment by shading asphalt. concrete. and metal surfaces. Buildings and paving in city centers create a heat island effect. A mature tree canopy reduces air temperatures by about 5 to 10 degrees. Let me give a personal story on the importance of reforestation. A few years ago. I helped create a memorial plaza for a Martin Luther King monument in MacGregor Park. There was a tree of life that was presented to that park by Martin Luther Kings father. In the course of urban development. that tree had to be moved. It caused an emotional uprising in our community. Ovide Duncantell tied himself to the tree. Ultimately. we resolved that the tree had to be moved. and that tree was potentially a tree that would die. With the right kind of nurturing and reforestation and treatment by the foresters who came. that tree is now a shining example of a unified community. I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment to ensure that our programs dealing with urban reforestation continue. Mr. Chair. thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of my amendment to H.R. 2822. the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2016 and to commend Chairman CALVERT and Ranking Member MCCOLLUM for their leadership in shepherding this bill through the legislative process. Among other agencies. this legislation funds the U.S. Forest Service. the National Park System. and the Smithsonian Institution. which operates our national museums including the National Zoo. Mr. Chair. my amendment is simple but it sends a very important message from the Congress of the United States. The Jackson Lee amendment emphasizes the importance of urban forests. and preserves our ability to return urban areas to healthy and safe living environments for our children. Identical amendments were offered and accepted in the Interior and Environment Appropriations Acts for Fiscal Year 2008 and Fiscal Year 2007 . and were adopted by voice vote. Mr. Chair. surveys indicate that some urban forests are in serious danger. In the past 30 years alone. we have lost 30% of all our urban treesa loss of over 600 million trees. Eighty percent (80%) of the American population lives in the dense quarters of a city. Reforestation programs return a tool of nature to a concrete area that can help to remove air pollution. filter out chemicals and agricultural waste in water. and save communities millions of dollars in storm water management costs. I have certainly seen neighborhoods in Houston benefit from urban reforestation. In addition. havens of green in the middle of a city can have beneficial effects on a communitys health. both physical and psychological. as well as increase property value of surrounding real estate. Reforestation of cities is an innovative way of combating urban sprawl and/or deterioration. Mr. Chair. a real commitment to enhancing our environment involves both the protection of existing natural resources and active support for restoration and improvement projects. Several years ago. American Forests. a leading conservation group. estimated that the tree cover lost in the greater Washington metropolitan area from 1973 to 1997 resulted in an additional 540 million cubic feet of storm water runoff annually. which would have taken more than $1 billion in storm water control facilities to manage. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide. and produce oxygen. People breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. A typical person consumes about 38 lb of oxygen per year. A healthy tree. say a 32 ft tall ash tree. can produce about 260 lb of oxygen annuallytwo trees supply the oxygen needs of a person for a year. Trees help reduce pollution by capturing particulates like dust and pollen with their leaves. A mature tree absorbs from 120 to 240 lbs of the small particles and gases of air pollution. Trees help combat the effects of "greenhouse" gases. the increased carbon dioxide produced from burning fossil fuels that is causing our atmosphere to "heat up." Trees help cool down the overall city environment by shading asphalt. concrete and metal surfaces. Buildings and paving in city centers create a heatisland effect. A mature tree canopy reduces air temperatures by about 510 degrees Fahrenheit. A 25 foot tree reduces annual heating and cooling costs of a typical residence by 8 to 12 percent. producing an average annual savings of $120 per American household. Proper tree plantings around buildings can slow winter winds. and reduce annual energy use for home heating by 422%. Mr. Chair. trees play a vital role in making our cities more sustainable and more livable. The Jackson Lee amendment simply provides for continued support to programs that reforest our urban areas. For all these reasons. Mr. Chair. I urge adoption of the Jackson Lee amendment and thank Chairman CALVERT and Ranking Member MCCOLLUM for their courtesies. consideration. and very fine work in putting together this legislation. Mr. Chair. I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota . the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior. Environment. and Related Agencies.