# Forests and the Bay When the colonist's first arrived 00 the shores of the Chesapeake, they found a vast forest covering over 95% of the watershed. These forests served as a continuous living Alter and regulator of the Bay's environment. However, as the land was settled, the paceof forest clearing accelerated Bythemld-1800's, over half of this vital resource had been converted to other uses. Although the acreage of forest land has recovered some from historic lows, less than 60% of the original forest remains today. Twenty nine percent of the watershed is nop used for apiculture, while 11-12% has been developed forroads, homes, businesses, and other uses. For the ficst time in neatly a century, the percent of- forest lands in the watershed is declining, Although some forest land is still cleared for agriculture, the threat to today's forest comes primarily from whan development and sprawl. Overthelast25 years, forests were lost to urban expansion at ante of as much as 100 acres per day. The Importance of Forests. As the natural land cover of the Bay's watershed, forests provided a physical and biological system which yielded clean waters and a productive Bay, Extensive scientific findings show clearly that forests are the most beneficial land cover for maintaining clean water. However, it is unknown how much forest we can lose without affecting die ability of the watershed to maintain lis Bay's health and resilience over the long term. How mm forests help the Boy? * Filter nutrients and sediment »Capture rainfall and regulate streantflow * Moderate stream and air temperatures »Stabilize erodible mils * Create and maintain fish and wildlife habitat * Preserve biodiversity Quantity vs. Quality. Location and distribution of forests may be as critical as total acreage. Unevenly distributed* some watersheds in the Bay have lost over 85% of their forests whileothers have experienced little or do losses. Fragmentation of forests into small uncon- nected blocks is especially common in urban land- scapes. Hiousands of miles of stream have been left unprotectedby their nature riparian forest Riparian Forests. For the Chesapeake Bay and its inhabitants, forests located along streams, rivers, and the Bay Itself are of utmost importance. Riparian forests serve an importantroleln the circulatory system of the watershed, the thousands of miles of river and stream that link the watershed to the Bay. Riparian forests are vital to controlling sediment and nutrient Percent of Watershed Forested 1«50 1750 1*>0 ------- inputs from rainfall and runoff, providing habitat and food tor fish and wildlife, cooling water temperatures, increasing dissolved oxygen, and helping to maintain the Integrity and constant energy flow of the aquatic ecosystem. Nutrients carried off the land in agricultural areas can be absorbed in large quantity by streamside buffers of forest while providing excellent habitat for fish, birds, mammals, and other species. These values translate into a forests' contribution to a healthier Bay. What are the issues? The Chesapeake ecosystem has a tremendous ability to buffer and repair Itself when faced with the impacts and stresses of man* s demand on it's environment Forests are an integral part of Its opacity for resilenee. Mitigation programs alone can not make up for fo. est losses. Recognizing the value of forests in the watershed, it is clear that conserving and ~ replanting forests, and using them to reduce pollution will need to play an important role in restoring the Bay. What is being done? Through (he Chesapeake Bay Program, unique partnerships have been formed among the various elements of the Bay region's forestry agen- cies, forest managers, and interested citizen groups. Since 1990, the USDA Forest Service has assigned a Forestry program Coordinator to the Bay Program to assist the EPA and Bay committees develop strategies and projects which contribute to Bay restoration goals. AForestry Work Group,formed as paitoftheNon point Source Subcommittee, provides an effective vehicle to raise and address issues related fo forests and the practice of forestry in the watershed. In addition, Bay Stale Foresters and local governments have responded to the Chesapeake Bay Program with the development and Implementation of numerous pro- grams and projects. States have taken bold steps to protect forests such as Maryland's passage of a Forest Conservation Act This landmark legislation requires the consideration of forest conservation in land use planning. Aggressive urban forestry programs in Mary- land and the District of Columbia are helping to en- hance the urban environment through innovative edu- cation, management and tree planting projects. Pro- moting the reestabllshment of riparian forests has been a particular focus of state programs and pilot projects. Maryland's Treemendous" and Greenshores programs. Pennsylvania's stream fencing program and pilot projects In the Conodoguinet watershed, Virginia's Preservation Act and DC's Anacostta project Is an examples. Virginia has implemented an agresslve model program to improve BMP implementation and effectiveness during forest management and evaluate the relationships of forests and water quality. Forestry incentive programs in all of the Bay states have resulted In the planting of millions of trees, the restora- tion of nearly SO miles of riparian forest, development of Forest Stewardship plans and enhancement projects on thousands of acres of the Bay watershed, thousands of hours of volunteer time and forest education, and hundreds of individual local projects demonstrating the valuable role of forests in the Bay watershed. * Forest Solutions # Protection • During urban expansion • Riparian forests • Forest inventory & analysis • Land, use planning Restoration Water quality Habitat enhancement Urban forests Forests buffers Local communities Stewardship • Preserve land base • Best management practices • Land owner benefits • Education ------- |