Forestry Workgroup Projects

A guide to familiarize new members with the Forestry Workgroup.

This storymap uses new high-resolution land use and land use change data to provide an updated understanding of Chesapeake forests and how they are changing.

The Timber Harvest Task Force has identified multiple opportunities to improve the mapping and modeling of forest harvest activities.

These updated modeling tools will be used by the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership to inform decisions related to the nutrient and sediment reduction goals outlined in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

This first-of-its-kind report synthesizes more than a decade's worth of data from public and private sources, highlights current forest conditions, forecasts future trends, and outlines key goals and strategies necessary to conserve and restore the forests of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The report calls for a strategic, long-term approach that identifies and focuses on forests with the highest environmental, economic, and social values. Together, public and private partners can help preserve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its residents through a concerted effort to protect its forests.

The proposed Riparian Forest Buffer Outcomes Fund would help overcome barriers and create new incentives to plant more buffers.

This evaluation of public outreach and engagement for tree planting and maintenance was designed to lift up best practices employed by tree-related campaigns and identify gaps in campaigns’ ability to carry out effective outreach.

This workshop was designed to discuss state strategies for increasing forest buffer restoration and identify roles for the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership in advancing buffer goals.

The Forestry Workgroup revised and updated the original Chesapeake Forest Restoration Strategy in 2020. The Strategy lays out broad priorities and actions that will guide forestry partnership efforts in the years ahead and was the basis for a Shared Stewardship agreement signed in October 2020 by all of the watershed’s seven state foresters and the Chief of the US Forest Service.

Watch the recorded webinar on this proposed program, and view the presentation below.