Othello Park Reforestation

Othello Park Reforestation. Come Explore Our Beautiful Park and Natural Landscapes. , Law requires that these trees be replaced. Reforestation is a silvicultural treatment used to reestablish forest cover, thus initiating the restoring of forest function. Reforestation, whether by planning for natural regeneration or tree planting, protects watersheds that have been affected by natural disturbance events, such as wildfire, climate change, and insect and disease infestations. , Quick Facts: ,

. Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20%., . One acre of forest absorbs 6 tons of carbon dioxide and produces 4 tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of eighteen people. USDA Forest Service, . Planting 15 trees offsets the CO2 produced by a vehicle driving 10,000 miles at 20 miles per gallon fuel efficiency. MD Dept. of Natural Resources, u . Tree loss has a financial cost. Tree loss in the Baltimore-Washington region since 1973 has resulted in a 19% increase in stormwater runoff (540 million cubic feet) at a cost of $1.08 billion. American Forests

, What Is Reforestation , Historically, restoring forested ecosystems following either unplanned catastrophic events or planned timber harvests is a top priority for national forest management., Prompt reforestation allows for the accelerated development of forest structure, species composition, and canopy that provides many benefits including wildlife habitat, clean and abundant water, carbon sequestration, forest wood products for consumers, forested recreation opportunities, and maintenance of soil productivity through soil erosion reduction., Reforestation presents unique opportunities to address emerging issues associated with climate change by conserving and managing genetic diversity to adapt to a changing climate, as well as sequestrating carbon to counter greenhouse gas emissions and restoring native species., Maryland Reforestation Law , When land development using State funds causes the cutting or clearing of forest lands, the Maryland Reforestation Law (enacted in 1989) requires that the trees be replaced. While construction activities by private citizens don't fall under this law, the impact of the Maryland Reforestation Law on the statewide greenscape cover is huge., Replacement of forest cleared for construction must be accomplished on an acre-for-acre, one-to-one ratio on public land, and within two or three growing seasons of the completion of the project. , ,br> The Maryland Reforestation Law plays a big role in mitigating the loss of forest cover due to construction. For highway construction, this is a win/win., Governor Schaeffer created a Task Force in the early 1990's to assess the problems and potential of Maryland's trees and forests to promote land stewardship., One recommendation of the Task Force was the creation of a forest conservation, protection, and reforestation law. The Department of Natural Resources Forest Service and various partners wrote the Forest Conservation Act and Regulations., The main purpose of the Maryland Forest Conservation Act (enacted in 1991) was to minimize the loss of Maryland's forest resources during land development by making the identification and protection of forests and other sensitive areas an integral part of the site planning process. Identification of priority areas prior to development makes their retention possible., During the first fifteen years of implementation, the FCA has been responsible for the review of 199,925 acres of forest on projects scheduled for development. Of those, 120,638 acres were retained, 71,885 acres were cleared, and 21,461 acres were planted with new forest. In other words, at least twice as many acres were protected or planted as were cleared.