WMRC&D has been awarded $50,000 in FY 2021 MAERDAF funding from the Rural Maryland Council to develop a Maryland forest products industry StoryMap which will provide a tool for attracting new industry investment in Maryland and for retaining existing jobs in the sector.
The StoryMap will feature interactive maps and graphs to explore, explain, and visualize information that communicates comprehensive and authoritative datasets, including forest area that is suitable and feasibly accessible for year-round harvesting and the economic contributions of Maryland’s existing forest products industry. This tool will identify and communicate why the forest industry matters in Maryland by focusing on economic and environmental factors. Economic factors include an explanation of the supply chain, an examination of forestry’s relationship to other top industries, and an assessment of forest industry jobs. Environmental factors include access to clean drinking water, forest stewardship, and the benefits of a forest management plan.