Provides that employees of the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation who engage in tree maintenance must first obtain an appropriate sawyer certification through the United States forest service national crosscut and chainsaw program.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6824
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 25, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. SERRANO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism,
Parks and Recreation
AN ACT to amend the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, in
relation to requiring sawyer training for employees engaged in tree
maintenance
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The parks, recreation and historic preservation law is
2 amended by adding a new section 3.16 to read as follows:
3 § 3.16 Required sawyer training. 1. Beginning April first, two thou-
4 sand twenty-six, no person employed by the office shall:
5 (a) engage in tree maintenance, including but not limited to brushing,
6 bucking, limbing, and felling, without first obtaining a level A sawyer
7 certification through the United States forest service national crosscut
8 and chainsaw program;
9 (b) engage in tree maintenance in hazardous conditions without first
10 obtaining a level B sawyer certification through the United States
11 forest service national crosscut and chainsaw program; or
12 (c) provide instruction and training on tree maintenance without first
13 obtaining a level C sawyer certification through the United States
14 forest service national crosscut and chainsaw program.
15 2. All training mandated by this section shall be conducted during the
16 employee's regular working hours and employees shall receive compen-
17 sation at their regular rate of pay for any time spent participating in
18 such training.
19 3. For the purposes of this section, "hazardous conditions" shall mean
20 any situation that poses a significant risk to the health and safety of
21 personnel, including but not limited to natural disasters, extreme
22 weather, and other emergency situations.
23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10350-01-5
