REQUESTING THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO IDENTIFY EXISTING LARGE TREES ALONG EVACUATION ROUTES AND TRIM, SPRAY, OR REMOVE TREES HAVING THE POTENTIAL TO OBSTRUCT THE EVACUATION ROUTE; CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR SPECIFIC HIGH-RISK TREES; IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES IN URBAN FORESTRY; AND STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY-BASED DISASTER PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVES.

SCR 209 is a Senate Concurrent Resolution requesting the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HEMA) to address tree-related obstructions on evacuation routes. It directs HEMA to identify large trees that could block evacuation paths, trim or remove them, conduct public risk assessments for high-risk trees, implement urban forestry best practices, and strengthen community disaster preparedness education. This resolution does not create new law but formally requests specific actions from HEMA to improve evacuation route safety and community resilience. It directly affects HEMA's operational procedures and communities relying on designated evacuation routes.