The Healthy Forests Healthy Waters program offers private landowners in Maryland a cost-free opportunity to establish new woodland cover on their property.
- Maryland Forest Service staff work with landowners to develop personalized tree planting plans
- Experienced service providers plant the trees and maintain the trees for three years
- Landowners agree to maintain tree cover for at least 10 years.
As of the end of 2022, 1,067 acres of new woodlands have been planted on 239 parcels of land. An additional 353 acres is planned through 2023. An estimated 25 percent of Healthy Forests Healthy Waters plantings are implemented in riparian areas. These plantings reduce the amounts of nutrients and sediments entering Chesapeake Bay waterways. At the same time, they offer benefits to landowners, such as increased wildlife habitat, more privacy, and aesthetic values.
Healthy Forests Healthy Waters is administered by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland Forestry Foundation with technical support from the Maryland Forest Service. The program is supported by a grant through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Chesapeake and Coastal Bays Trust Fund.
For more information, contact Craig Highfield
