Forest Forums and Workshops

Baltimore County has hosted special forums and workshops to learn from and share forest sustainability information with other agencies and organizations. The following events have been held to date:

• Forest Sustainability for Local Governments, September 18, 2008
• Roundtable on Sustainable Forests National Workshops, December 10 to 12, 2007
• 5E Forum, June 1, 2006
• Forest Sustainability Issues and Indicators Forum, June 10, 2003
• Linking Communities Steering Committee

Forest Sustainability for Local Governments, September 18, 2008

This event was the fall workshop of the Mason Dixon Task Force, a discussion group for counties in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware along the Mason Dixon line, that was formed in the mid 1960s in response to regional drought. Member counties continue to collaborate on water quality, watershed management, and other environmental issues of mutual interest. The workshop was also co-sponsored by several members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Forests, including the USDA Forest Service, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Baltimore County. The workshop presented frameworks, data and assessment tools, case studies, and other information for local governments about the importance of sustainable forest management. The event drew 108 participants including representatives from 22 counties (15 Maryland, 4 Pennsylvania, and 3 Delaware through the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration). 

The following information and handouts from the workshop are available as PDF documents and will open in a new window:

• Workshop announcement, agenda and list of attendees
• Index of documents
• Framework
• NA Forest Sustainability Indicators Information System
• Selected forest organizations and resources
• References on forest nutrient cycling
• References on deer herd management and forest health
• Trees and urban air quality
• Power Point presentations
  
  • Introduction
    
  • Need for indicators and how they can be used as a framework for achieving sustainability.
  • Forest sustainability indicators created and used by the USFS.
  • USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis program and the data FIA collects.
  • Maryland DNR goals and programs, and GIS analyses for forest conservation.
  • GIS systems, data, and analyses for forest sustainability at the local government level.
  • Case study of forest sustainability efforts in Baltimore County, Maryland.
  • Case study of green infrastructure initiatives at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
  • Successful forest programs in the Bay watershed.

Roundtable on Sustainable Forests National Workshops, December 10 to 12, 2007

This workshop was held at Oregon Ridge Park and focused on the challenges with scaling indicators from national to sub-national levels and the technical, data, and format issues regarding the 2010 edition of the National Report on Sustainable Forests. Materials from the workshop are available on the Roundtable on Sustainable Forests website.

5E Forum, June 1, 2006

The 5E Forum was held on June 1, 2006 at Oregon Ridge Park. This Forum was held to focus on 5 overarching and special issues identified by the Steering Committee from the Draft Forest Sustainability Strategy for discussion with a broader audience of stakeholders. The Forum included 70 representatives from 40 organizations. The “5E” issues included: Education, Ecology, Economics, Easement, and “Indicators” (Environmental Indicators). The Forum led to the formation of 5 ad hoc subcommittees of the Steering Committee, which have selected priority actions for implementation.

• Forum Agenda (PDF)
• 5E Focus Area Summaries (PDF)
• Forum Summary (PDF)
• Attendees (PDF)

Issues and Indicators Forum, June 10, 2003

The issues and Indicators Forum was held on June 10, 2003 at Oregon Ridge Park. This Forum was sponsored by the Linking Communities to the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators (MPCI) project partners (USDA Forest Service, American Forests, and Sustainable Measures) to introduce the topic of forest sustainability and sustainability indicators, and to discuss whether the MPCI might provide a framework for measuring forest sustainability in Baltimore County. The Forum included 58 invitees from a diverse group of agencies and organizations. The Forum led to the formation of the current Steering Committee.

• Forum Invitation (PDF)
• Sustainability and Montreal Process Presentation (PDF)
• Forum Summary (PDF)
• Forum Flip Chart (PDF)
• Definitions and Resources (PDF)
• Forum Attendees (PDF)
• Forum Evaluation Results (PDF)

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 Maryland 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, email announcements are sent to those who subscribe to the contact list. Minutes of meetings from 2003 through 2007 are available upon request.

Revised May 27, 2014