Each year, the goal of the Western Maryland Reforestation Program is to implement native tree plantings on a large scale in order to provide the region with the associated benefits; including the improvement of the water quality of local watersheds and the Chesapeake, erosion control, flood mitigation and storm water management, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat enhancement. In spring 2023, Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Council implemented the latest season of our Reforestation Program by planting native tree seedlings on 89 acres of private and public land, including 24.6 acres of forest buffer, in Garrett, Allegany, Washington, and Frederick Counties. These projects were completed in partnership with 6 private landowners, the Antietam National Battlefield, the Ridenour Swamp Wildlife Management Area, and the Maryland Forest Service. Funding support was provided by the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund and One Tree Planted. To maximize the success of this project, each planting site will receive ongoing planting maintenance through the project’s end date of June 2025.
