Directive 06-1: Protecting the Forests of the Chesapeake Watershed

Description

Directive 06-1 commits the Chesapeake Bay Program to developing a collective goal for conserving those forest lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed where conservation to protect water quality is most needed. It further commits the Chesapeake Bay Program to: (1) Use the best available tools to identify areas where retention and expansion of forests is most needed to protect water quality in the Bay watershed. (2) Identify and recommend ways that planning, regulations, easements, tax incentives, funding programs and other strategies will be used to ensure the protection of these important forest lands, slow forest loss and enhance needed stewardship. (3) Expand efforts to link stormwater management and land use regulations with conservation of forests and riparian buffers. (4) Develop within each state and the District of Columbia a goal, framework and milestones for protecting forested areas of critical importance to water quality while considering which of those are most vulnerable to development. (5) Work collaboratively with landowners, forest product industries, land trusts, watershed organizations and other business partners to create new partnerships and develop innovative actions, programs and incentives to support retention, expansion and stewardship of forest lands of critical importance to water quality.