RELATING TO TREES.

Increased the minimum number of members for county arborist advisory committees from five to six.

Established a new State Arborist Advisory Committee within the Department of Land and Natural Resources to oversee the program and create a statewide registry.

Added detailed definitions for 'exceptional tree' and 'significant tree' based on criteria such as age, aesthetics, environmental benefits, and cultural value.

Changed the effective date of the act from July 1, 3000, to July 1, 2050.

Reduced the required number of members for county arborist advisory committees from six to five.

Corrected spelling errors in the definition of 'exceptional tree' (changing 'aboricultural' to 'arboricultural') and 'State committee' (adding the word 'arborist').

Clarified the rule for endemic trees by removing redundant text about possessing other criteria.

Removed the phrase 'later become' to clarify that significant trees may be designated as exceptional trees.

Updated bill metadata including page counts, dates, and reference numbers.

The definition of an 'exceptional tree' was updated to require that trees nominated solely for being endemic to Hawaii must also meet at least one other selection criterion (such as age or size) to be designated.

The State Arborist Advisory Committee's membership requirements were adjusted to allow for a range of five to eight experts instead of four to eight, and the committee's role was clarified to serve as a resource for counties.

The bill now explicitly states that the 'exceptional tree' definition in Section 58-A applies to Section 235-19, ensuring consistency in how the term is used across different statutes.

A specific effective date of July 1, 3000, was added to the bill, replacing the previous 'upon approval' language.

Various formatting and phrasing adjustments were made to the selection criteria, such as changing 'utilize' to 'use' and clarifying that a single tree can be a champion in multiple categories.