Forest Sustainability Program
Linking Communities to the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators
This program is all about working for healthy forests, for today and tomorrow.
- Forests and trees provide important environmental and community benefits.
- Forests reduce flooding and soil erosion during storms, stabilizing watersheds that provide clean water to streams and reservoirs. Forests and trees remove and store atmospheric carbon, helping to reduce greenhouse gases.
- Forests provide habitat for native wildlife and opportunities for nature-based recreation, in addition to providing green jobs through the sustainable production of timber and other forest products.
In our urban areas, trees shade and cool buildings, lessening the heat reflected from paved areas. They also add value to properties and enhance the aesthetics of urban landscapes.
Working with the USDA Forest Service and other partners of the national Roundtable on Sustainable Forests, Baltimore County is a national pilot for application, at the County level, of the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators (MPC&I). The MPC&I, used by the United States and eleven other nations, is a tool for measuring the ecological and economic sustainability of forest resources.
About The Program
Baltimore County’s forest sustainability program has been profiled in several documents that provide detailed information about its origins, program development, and results. The documents are available below.
National Report on Sustainable Forests 2010
This is a report (PDF) on the state of forests in the United States and the indicators of national progress toward the goal of sustainable forest management. Forest sustainability is a concern across all geographic scales. The national report briefly describes the importance of our work in Baltimore County (p. I-30, 1-31, 1-38, 1-41).
Conservation Fund Green Infrastructure Case Study (December 2007)
The Conservation Fund’s Green Infrastructure Leadership Program released a case study on the Baltimore County Forest Sustainability Project. The Fund’s series of case studies highlight successful and innovative green infrastructure projects from around the country, created so that communities can learn from and improve upon approaches tried by others. The County’s case study (PDF) was a project of the national Roundtable on Sustainable Forests.
Planning the Urban Forest: Ecology, Economy, and Community Development
This Planners Advisory Report (PAS #555) by the American Planning Association explains how communities can develop urban forestry programs to capture the social and environmental benefits of trees. The report includes a case study about Baltimore County’s forest sustainability program. PAS reports are distributed via subscription to planning agencies across the U.S. and are also available to the public at cost.
Forest Sustainability Indicator Tools for Communities
This project of the USDA Forest Service, American Forests, and Sustainable Measures was developed as part of the Linking Communities to the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators project to advance understanding of how local, regional, and national efforts to develop sustainability criteria and indicators can be connected. Information and lessons from the project were used to provide feedback in preparing the National Report on Sustainable Forests 2003 (PDF). This document is intended to serve as an indicator 'tool kit' for forest-based communities that are working on maintaining and enhancing their natural resources as a basis for long-term economic, social, and environmental health. Although originally developed to evaluate national progress toward sustainable forests, the framework can be adopted at the local level. Three communities tested this tool kit as part of the three-year pilot project. Appendix D describes the process each community went through and some of the key lessons learned.
A Framework for Sustainable Forest Management
The foundation for good resource management is adequate dialogue among stakeholders who are informed by relevant data and analysis. Although not necessarily a linear process, better data should lead to better dialogue, which in turn should lead to better decisions.
Better Data
The Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability (EPS) conducts assessments of forest conditions and trends in order to inform dialogue and support implementation decisions.
State of Our Forests 2007 (PDF) (December 2007) summarizes existing County, State, Federal and other data that characterize the ecological and economic sustainability of the County's forest resources, using the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators framework. Unique at the local level, this report was included as one of only four documents presented by the U.S. at the World Forest Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2010.
The Urban Forest within Baltimore County’s Urban-Rural Demarcation Line (PDF) (March 2009) provides data on the structure, health, and functions of forests and trees within the 130,000-acre URDL, using the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) model. The report was prepared by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Our Urban Forests (PDF) (March 2010) is a poster, prepared for the 2010 State of Our Watersheds Conference, that summarizes data from GIS analyses of urban tree canopy in the County.
Protection of Natural Resources Working Group report (PDF) (August 2009) is the final report of the County’s Sustainability Network working group that investigated the dynamics of forest carbon in the County, as part of investigation and recommendations for actions that support the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Oregon Ridge Park Forest Health Assessment and Forest Management Plan (opens new window) (PDF) (April 2007) provides an assessment of forest health for 22 forest stands for the 895 acres of forest in the Park, using the USDA Forest Service NED model. Forest management recommendations are provided for the objective of assuring the natural regeneration of the Park’s oak-dominated forest.
Executive Summary (PDF)
Forest Stand Data (PDF)
Sampling Plot Data (PDF)
NED Stand Visualization (PDF)
Better Dialogue
Continuing dialogue among stakeholders assures that better program decisions are made in response to better data about forest resource conditions and trends. Since 2003, EPS has engaged numerous agency professionals, citizen leaders, forest industry practitioners, and others through a variety of committee, forum, and workshop settings.
Linking Communities Steering Committee
Linking Communities Steering Committee is an open advisory body convened by EPS since 2003 for the continuing development and implementation of its Forest Sustainability Program. The Steering Committee is comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders, including agency and organization representatives and citizens, who volunteer their time to specific issues and projects. An important accomplishment of the Committee was the preparation of a Draft Forest Sustainability Strategy in November 2005. The Strategy presents the Steering Committee’s Vision for Forest Sustainability, as well as 10 Guiding Principles, 42 Goals, 86 Recommended Actions, and 63 Recommended Assessment and Data Analyses in support of 15 Ecological and Economic Issues for Forest Sustainability. The Strategy also includes background information about the 15 issues, an introduction to sustainability indicators, and a data snapshot of the forest resources of Baltimore County. At the time of release of the Strategy on November 8, 2005, Baltimore County signed a four year Memorandum of Understanding with the USDA Forest Service, the MD Department of Natural Resources, and American Forests to work cooperatively to implement the Strategy. Membership and meetings are open to the public. While the Committee has met infrequently since 2007, e-mail announcements are sent to those who subscribe to the contact list. Minutes of meetings from 2003 through 2007 are available upon request.
Forums and Workshops
Materials from special program forums and workshops, including:
- Forest Sustainability for Local Governments, September 18, 2008
- Roundtable on Sustainable Forests National Workshops, December 10-12, 2007
- 5E Forum, June 1, 2006
- Forest Sustainability Issues and Indicators Forum, June 10, 2003
Program Implementation
Information about program Implementation, including:
- Urban Greening, Tree Planting, and Reforestation
- Rural Reforestation
- Forest Assessment and Monitoring
- Program Documentation
Contact
Donald C. Outen, AICP
Natural Resource Manager
Baltimore County EPS
105 W. Chesapeake Ave. Ste 400
Towson, MD 21204
410-887-4488 ext 238
410-887-3510 (FAX)
douten@baltimorecountymd.gov
Revised January 12, 2012
