Maryland’s New Approach To Increasing Urban Tree Canopy

The 2013 Forest Preservation Act requires Maryland to maintain the existing 40-percent forest canopy coverage statewide. The 2014 amended Chesapeake Watershed Agreement establishes a goal to expand urban tree canopy in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2,400 ac (970 ha) by 2025, with Maryland’s target being 540 ac (220 ha) (45 ac [18 ha] per year). To achieve these goals, Maryland created two new programs. Marylanders Plant Trees, a $25 coupon reimbursement program, targets individuals wishing to plant a native tree; 33,324 coupons were reimbursed between fiscal year (FY) 2009 and FY 2015. The Lawn to Woodland program, a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, targets small-lot owners with 1 to 5 ac (0.4 to 2.0 ha) of plantable space. The Foundation conducts outreach and the Maryland Forest Service handles the tree planting at no cost to the lot owner. In the spring of 2014, the Maryland Forest Service conducted a pilot with 14 ac (5.7 ha) planted on 12 lots. In the spring of 2015, 100 ac (40 ha) on 84 lots were planted statewide and, during the spring of 2016, planting approximately 60 ac (24 ha) on approximately 56 lots statewide was proposed. This paper was presented at a joint meeting of the Northeast Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and Southern Forest Nursery Association (Kent Island, MD, July 20–23, 2015).

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Author(s): Marian Honeczy

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 59, Number 2 (2016)

Event: Joint Meeting of the Northeast Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and Southern Forest Nursery Association
2015 - Kent Island, MD

Volume: 59

Number: 2