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Forest Monitoring Service Experts Ask Gov. Hochul to Sign the TREES Act
Today Environmental Advocates New York highlights a letter from forest monitoring experts calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Tropical Rainforest Economic and Environmental Sustainability (TREES) Act, which will help protect these irreplaceable natural resources by guaranteeing that New York State no longer contributes to rainforest destruction through the products it buys.
Forest monitors — professional analysts who certify that product suppliers are meeting their sustainability commitments by supplying only forest-safe products — are uniquely positioned to understand the economic leverage that the TREES Act will exert in the forest sector.
In the letter, the groups remind the governor that signing the TREES Act is not just good for rainforests, it’s good for New York’s economic future: “We encourage you to sign the Act because we firmly believe that the Act is not only in the interest of protecting the world’s vital tropical rainforests, but it is also the practical embodiment of your strategic vision to make a world-leading green technology economy in New York.”
“These forest monitoring groups agree: by signing the TREES Act, Governor Hochul can position New York as a global climate leader — while creating new economic opportunities for New Yorkers,” said Vanessa Fajans-Turner, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates NY. “Through the TREES Act, they confirm, New Yorkers can exert a meaningful impact on the safety of irreplaceable tropical forests. This legislation implements simple measures to ensure New York’s procurement dollars no longer contribute to forest destruction.”
The TREES Act, which passed both legislative chambers earlier this year, awaits Governor Hochul’s signature. The legislation would guarantee that companies selling to New York government agencies no longer buy products from companies that cut down tropical rainforests. It will also ensure that businesses providing goods or services to New York State do not contribute to the associated abuses of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in tropical forested regions.
The letter’s signing organizations include Carto, Earthqualizer, Farmforce, Frontierra, Inovasi Digital, LandGriffon, MapHubs, Meridia, Nadar, Pempem, SIG-GIS, Satelligence, TheTreeMap, and Vizzuality.
Read the full letter here.
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