SB2455 makes several changes to Illinois law governing the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Act and one change to the State Forest Act. In the forestry assistance law, it broadens and modernizes terminology, replacing older “urban/community” phrasing with “urban and community forestry,” and clarifies who may apply for assistance. The bill expressly allows not-for-profit corporations to apply if they are working to help local governments or the Department of Natural Resources meet the Act’s goals, and it updates definitions for public trees, public tree inventories, and management plans. It also revises the content of forestry management plans and proposals, including requiring that management plans be based on a public tree inventory less than 10 years old and that they contain information required by Department rules.
The bill also expands and refines the Department of Natural Resources’ duties. DNR is directed to promote urban and community forestry plans and programs, provide technical expertise and guidance to grant recipients, review proposals, and offer information to the Illinois Forestry Development Council and other state and local entities. In the grant section, the bill changes the criteria for assistance so projects may support the Illinois Forest Action Plan, local forestry objectives, tree canopy capacity in underserved or disadvantaged areas, and urban and community forest canopy more broadly. It also updates grant administration rules by allowing multiple applicants, requiring that local contributions and in-kind services comply with current federal and state grant requirements, and tying payments to the terms of the grant award.
Separately, SB2455 amends the State Forest Act to add Lowden-Miller State Forest in Ogle County and Spoon River State Forest in Knox County to the list of designated state forests, while retaining the existing designation of Sand Ridge State Forest in Mason County. This portion of the bill affects the statutory list of state forests and expands the recognized state forest system.
The bill appears to have broad support in both chambers based on the voting history. It passed the Senate 53-2, passed the House 103-0, and then received unanimous Senate concurrence 55-0. No committee transcript is available, so the record does not show detailed floor or committee debate, but the vote totals suggest little opposition overall.
The main policy themes are urban tree canopy, environmental quality, local government forestry planning, and grant administration. Any contention would likely center on the expanded eligibility for applicants, the shift toward broader canopy and equity-focused grant criteria, and the administrative requirements for inventories, plans, and in-kind contributions, but the available record does not show organized opposition or specific disputed points.
SB2455 amends the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Act, 30 ILCS 735, by revising definitions, applicant eligibility, Department duties, grant criteria, and grant administration requirements. It also amends 525 ILCS 40/2.1 in the State Forest Act to add two state forests to the statutory list. The practical effect is to expand and clarify the state’s urban forestry grant program, increase DNR oversight and guidance responsibilities, and update the legal framework for local governments and eligible nonprofit partners seeking forestry assistance.
No specific contention is documented in the available transcripts, but the bill’s changes could raise questions about administrative burden, eligibility expansion to nonprofit corporations, and the new emphasis on underserved or disadvantaged communities and canopy goals. Potentially affected parties include units of local government, Illinois-chartered not-for-profit corporations working on forestry, grant recipients, and the Department of Natural Resources. However, the recorded votes suggest these issues did not generate significant opposition.