The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) called for stronger forest protections during the Maryland General Assembly session.
The Forest Preservation and Retention bill will update the 1991 Forest Conservation Act to better define and protect forests and tree canopy. By raising the standard for forest protection the bill aims at reversing the loss of forested land to development.
“The bill helps combat fragmentation of forest patches and recognizes the important role trees play in urban and suburban communities by incentivizing protections for this vital foliage,” according to the CBF.
A new study by the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology found that Maryland lost nearly 19,000 acres of forest and tree canopy from 2013 to 2018.
Montgomery County and Prince George’s County accounted for more than 44% of the state’s total tree canopy loss, according to the report. The loss of forest land makes the state more vulnerable to increased temperatures and stronger storms.
According to Erik Fisher, the foundation’s interim Maryland Executive Director, protecting forests now could protect communities from climate change in the future.
“Forests are among the most critical natural resources to protect Maryland from climate change,” Fisher said in a press release. “If we continue to lose tree cover and forested land at the rate we have in the past, our efforts to safeguard communities against flooding and excessive heat, protect wildlife, and clean up the Chesapeake Bay will be more difficult and expensive.”
The Forest Preservation and Retention bill is one of five priority bills created to improve the Chesapeake Bay during this year’s General Assembly session.
CBF will be advocating for five priority bills designed to bolster the Bay’s natural filters and improve water quality during the 2023 Maryland General Assembly session. Learn more: https://t.co/rigFLUPgJZ
— Chesapeake Bay Foundation (@chesapeakebay) February 9, 2023
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