The Department staff realized back in the 1980's that if we were going to make progress in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay we would have to start with the waters that flowed through it. It is generally recognized that one of the most effective ways to enhance and protect our waterways is by having adequate riparian buffers. In the fall of 1988 we began a Riparian Reforestation Program and 95% of our efforts were in creating and restoring forested buffers.

Initially funded by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Green Shores Program, we augmented their efforts with the purchase of thousands of tree seedlings, staff time and hundreds of volunteers. When funding of the Green Shores was terminated in the mid-nineties due to budget cutbacks at the State and local level, we were forced to curtail our efforts as well.

In 1993, with the passing of the Howard County Forest Conservation Act, the Department’s Natural Resource Division (NRD) began to receive inquiries from developers requesting permission to conduct forest mitigation on County land. However, the County prohibits private mitigation on public property. The NRD did however recognize a need to create and enhance riparian buffers. Our needs of adequate forested buffers coincided with those of the development community to meet their forest mitigation requirements. So, the NRD devised a plan to meet both needs. After several months of planning and numerous meetings with the Department of Planning and Zoning and the development community a program was formulated to achieve both the goals of the NRD and the requirements of the developers. The development community was very pleased with our proposal. The process works like this. When developers are not able to perform their forest mitigation through planting they are required to pay a fee-in-lieu to the County as established in the Forest Conservation Regulations. Once the developers have paid the fee, they are given approval for their development and released from any further obligations on that particular project. The Department of Planning and Zoning annually turns over a portion of these monies to Recreation and Parks for the design and implementation of forest mitigation projects on County parkland.

Using high-resolution GIS aerial digital images we perform a preliminary analysis of possible sites that lack adequate forest buffers. We then field verify and evaluate the existing site conditions identifying existing plant cover, drainage patterns, soil types, hydrology and potential threats to young trees from deer, voles, beaver and invasive plant species. Then a site preparation plan is developed along with a specific planting plan. Once the site is properly prepared and a schedule developed, all sites are posted to notify the public of our intentions. If requested, we meet with the communities, usually through their Home Owners Associations, to discuss our plans.

In 2000, NRD hired a project forester to oversee this program and a field technician to assist with site preparation and maintenance. We now have in place a contract with a nursery grower for the acquisition of the plant materials and a requirements contract for the installation of these plant materials. All reforestation sites are mapped using GPS units and linked to a detailed GIS database that provides us with up-to-date information such as site ID, planting date, species and number of plants used, survival rates, etc. We inspect each site semi-annually to ensure the viability of the plantings. We accomplish all of this without spending one penny of General Fund money. All material and services as well as all wages and benefits are covered through the fee-in-lieu monies.

This past fall we created an additional half-mile of stream buffers totaling over twenty acres of new forests. To date, since the County began its reforestation efforts in 1988, over 95,559 trees covering some 215 acres (totaling 8.5 miles of riparian buffers) have been planted by Recreation and Parks. We have also developed and implemented a Policy and Procedure for Reforestation that was presented in 2003 at a public hearing in front of the Recreation and Parks Board and passed by unanimous vote.

Today, the Department has a very effective and highly successful Forest Mitigation Program. Our NRD staff designs, prepares and implements 20-30 acres of reforestation every year. In addition, they monitor and manage hundreds of additional acres of forests.

This has been a win-win situation from the very beginning. The developers are pleased because they know early what will be required of their project and do not have to be concerned with the design, planting and warranty of reforestation efforts. This works very well for the Department because, as the County agency responsible for the protection of natural resources, we maintain the inventory of locations where gaps in the riparian zones exist. Most importantly, this process works because NRD has a vested interest in insuring that the plantings are properly designed, planted and maintained. This is the key to creating successful forest ecosystems.

In 1999 we partnered with Howard County Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners and the H.C. Board of Education in the award winning Schools and Streams program to educate 5th graders in the important role that riparian buffer plantings play. This program was so successful that it has now become a part of the 5th Grade curriculum in all Howard County schools.

In January of 2001, the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks, Natural Resources Division won the Governor’s Stream Re-Leaf Award for their reforestation efforts.

In addition, our involvement and dedicated efforts in reforestation has been instrumental in the County being recognized in the National Arbor Foundation Tree City Award.

The Department has already identified over 100 acres of additional land in need of reforestation, which includes 100-year flood plains, wetland buffers, critical habitat buffers, steep slopes and forest corridors for wildlife movement. We are currently in the process of seeking support to hire two additional field staff members who will join the forester and his assistant in expanding our planting and maintenance efforts.