Forestry Workgroup

The Forestry Workgroup coordinates, develops and implements plans and projects that focus on the contributions of forest lands in restoring the health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and in retaining their economic potential.

Meetings

‍View all meetings‍ View group calendar

About

An aerial view of forested land bisected by a river in Susquehanna State Park.
Forested land at Susquehanna State Park. (Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program with aerial support by Southwings)

The Forestry Workgroup coordinates, develops and implements plans and projects that focus on the contributions of forest lands in restoring the health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and in retaining their economic potential. The workgroup provides a forum to discuss issues and identify opportunities among the forestry community, interested individuals and organizations, and federal, state and local governments.

Objectives:

  • Enhance communication and education regarding forestry issues within the Bay watershed.
  • Identify the need and opportunities for demonstration projects and program development.
  • Promote the establishment and management of forests and trees in urban, rural and developing areas to improve water quality and aquatic and terrestrial habitats associated with the Bay and its tributaries.
  • Promote forestry research and monitoring needed to evaluate forest contributions toward protection and restoration of the Bay.
  • Ensure forest resource information pertinent to the Bay is available to individuals and organizations interested and/or involved in implementing the Chesapeake Bay Program.

The Forestry Workgroup is also pursuing the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement goal and outcomes to:

Vital Habitats Goal: Restore, enhance and protect a network of land and water habitats to support fish and wildlife and to afford other public benefits, including water quality, recreational uses and scenic value across the watershed.

  • Forest Buffer Outcome: Continually increase the capacity of forest buffers to provide water quality and habitat benefits throughout the watershed. Restore 900 miles per year of riparian forest buffer and conserve existing buffers until at least 70 percent of riparian areas throughout the watershed are forested.
  • Tree Canopy Outcome: Continually increase urban tree canopy capacity to provide air quality, water quality and habitat benefits throughout the watershed. Expand urban tree canopy by 2,400 acres by 2025.

Projects

New Member Guide

A guide to familiarize new members with the Forestry Workgroup.

Phase 7 Model Development

In Progress

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.

State of Chesapeake Forests 2.0

Complete

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.

Publications

Our Watershed Agreement Goals & Outcomes

Vital Habitats Goal

Our Members