Archive News
February 28, 2006
Steering Committee Meeting
The next Steering Committee meetings are schedule for:
- Tuesday, March 28, 2006
- Tuesday, April 25, 2006
- Tuesday, May 23, 2006
We welcome past members and new faces as we begin another phase of our program – implementing the Forest Sustainability Strategy.
Meeting Time and Location The Steering Committee meetings will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Sherwood House in the Cromwell Valley Park.
Directions Exit 29 from the Baltimore Beltway; proceed east on Cromwell Bridge Road approximately 1 mile, to Park entrance on the left.
The agenda for the February 28 meeting will include:
- The Steering Committee will resume its discussion from the January 24 meeting about the formation of new sub-committees for implementation of several major recommendations contained in the November 2005 Final Draft Forest Sustainability Strategy. In addition to continuing work on the development of indicators, sub-committees are needed to work on education initiatives, conservation easement conflict resolution, and economic initiatives.
- The latter will include providing some guidance for development of an RFP for a markets assessment and development study. Attendees should help identify other recommendations that the Steering Committee would like to implement over the coming year. The sub-committees will have an opportunity to meet and discuss their work plans.
- An update will also be provided on the status of County discussions about options for formal adoption of the Strategy, as discussed at the January meeting. Steering Committee members who have announcements about activities related to Forest Sustainability in the County are welcome, as always, to provide information to the group but are requested to contact Don Outen in advance.
You can view the Steering Committee’s Final Draft Forest Sustainability Strategy, in case you missed it.
Program Updates
Forest Health Assessment and Management Plan for Oregon Ridge Park – The Baltimore County Council voted on February 6, 2005 to approve a consultant contract with MAR-LEN Environmental to conduct a forest assessment of the County’s Oregon Ridge Park, using the US Forest Service’s North East Decision Model (NED-1), and to prepare a Forest Management Plan. Several other firms also expressed interest in the RFP and attended the October 19, 2005 pre-bid conference. Notice to Proceed will be issued soon to MAR-LEN principal Len Wrabel, and field work for the one-year study is expected to begin before spring. Oregon Ridge Park, with about 850 acres of contiguous forest cover, is the County’s second-largest forest holding. The Park includes a major monitoring site for the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a Long-Term Ecological Research site.
Growing Home Campaign – Baltimore County’s pilot program to encourage citizens to plant 10,000 trees in their yards this spring is set to begin on National Arbor Day, Monday April 3. In addition to providing information about benefits of planting trees in urban areas, recommendations for species selection, and guidance on planting and care of young trees, the County and local garden centers and nurseries will cost-share a $10 coupon for citizens toward the purchase of a $25+ tree. The County Executive will attend a kickoff event at a local nursery to announce the program and acknowledge the financial contribution of our first sponsor, the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. We will provide more details in the coming weeks, including how to get your coupon. This one-year program is supported by a Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant (US Forest Service funding), administered through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. EPS is seeking additional corporate partners to continue this program and recently submitted another grant application to the Chesapeake Bay Program.
Rural Residential Stewardship Initiative – EPSs reforestation crew completed planting for this pilot program to encourage lot owners in larger rural residential subdivisions (zoned Resource Conservation – R.C.4) to convert “excess” lawn to forest, particularly along riparian areas where previous farming had reduced buffer widths. Two subdivisions were successfully planted: in Bernoudy Farms, 5.2 acres of forest were added on four lots, increasing forest cover by 44 percent, and in Kimberly, about 16.7 acres of forest was added on 11 lots, increasing forest cover by 229 percent. In return for the County planting and training, lot owners have agreed to conduct monitoring and maintenance for their young forests. We see tremendous potential for increasing rural forest cover through this incentive program, which is funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency through the Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed grants program, administered through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. DEPRM recently submitted another grant application to extend this program into 2007. The pilot will soon be featured in an article appearing in the USDA Forest Service’s Inside Agroforestry newsletter, published by the National Agroforestry Center in Nebraska.
FY 2006-2007 Capital Improvement Program Budget Request – EPSs recent request to the Administration for capital funding in support of the Forest Sustainability Program includes $270,000 for FY 2006-07. The Administration’s final budget will be forwarded to the County Council in April for Council approval in May. If approved, the funding will provide:
- $50,000 for the County’s coupon match to continue the Growing Home Campaign for 2007
- $15,000 for purchase of tree seedlings and planting supplies to continue the Rural Residential Stewardship Initiative for 2006 and 2007
- $45,000 to initiate an urban forest assessment (planned for summer 2007) using the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) model inside the County’s 130,000 acre urban growth boundary (Urban-Rural Demarcation Line or URDL) in cooperation with David Nowak of the US Forest Service’s Northeastern Forest Experiment Station
- $105,000 to design and initiate a long-term, local-scale Forest Health Monitoring network outside the URDL in cooperation with Ken Stolte of the US Forest Service’s Southern Research Station
- $55,000 to conduct an economic study related to strengthening and developing forest products markets in Baltimore County (carbon, renewable energy sources, and/or alternative forest products)
Baltimore Area Council Boy Scouts of America Partnership – BSA leadership has approved a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with Baltimore County’s forest sustainability program and help the BSA fulfill its own commitment to plant 1 million trees for the Chesapeake Bay. The partnership will provide opportunities for the estimated 8,000 Scouts in Baltimore County’s three districts and their adult leaders to participate in County reforestation and related projects. Eagle Scout projects are already under discussion for spring, and a large planting event (probably on Earth Day) is being planned to showcase the new partnership. Participation by others among the 46,000 Scouts and 12,000 adult leaders in the larger Baltimore Area Council would also be possible.
Corporate Partnership Development – EPS staff are working to introduce the Forest Sustainability Program to several corporations and foundations in order to secure funding to continue program development and implementation.
Tree-Mendous Maryland – EPS is currently accepting orders from community associations who want to participate in the MD DNR-sponsored program to plant low-cost trees on public lands and community open spaces. Organizations can place orders directly with MD DNR or with EPS. EPS provides free delivery of trees for communities who order 10+ trees. Baltimore County assisted with 447 orders for more than 11,300 trees from 1990-2004. Program information and order forms for Spring 2006.
Roundtable on Sustainable Forests – EPS is working with its Forest Sustainability MOU partners on a 2006 Roundtable work plan project, Engaging the Broader Community of Forest Stakeholders at Multiple Scales, to document the County’s approach to using the MPCI and to possibly engage another MD county in exploring adoption of a forest sustainability program. The case study will be used to show other local governments across the country how forest sustainability can be integrated into existing local programs for environmental protection and resource management.
Revised May 24, 2011
