Protecting the Forests of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: A Response to Directive 06-1

Description

Response to Directive 06-1 confirms the Chesapeake Bay Program's intent to maximize forest area in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, discourage conversion of the most valuable forests and give priority to forests in land conservation programs. It also commits the Chesapeake Bay Program to specific actions to protect forests and reduce the loss of forests to development, including: (1) By 2020, permanently protect an additional 695,000 acres of forest from conversion, targeting forests in areas of highest water quality value. (2) By 2020, accelerate reforestation and conservation in urban and suburban areas and riparian forest buffers. (3) By 2010, work with local governments, legislative delegations, land trusts or other stakeholders to create or augment dedicated sources of local funding for the conservation of forests important to water quality. (4) By 2009, establish and implement mechanisms to track and assess forest land cover change every five years at the county and township scale, and deliver this capacity to local governments, watershed groups, and other partners.