An Anne Arundel County press release (2019-08-21) announced that County Executive Steuart Pittman plans on introducing legislation to strengthen the County’s forest conservation law. Pittman is taking this action in the light of recent forest losses within the County. From the press release:
“Forests are tremendously important to our county,” said County Executive Pittman. “Trees reduce air pollution, soak up stormwater runoff, provide wildlife habitat and help fight climate change. For decades, we’ve made it too easy to cut down our forests. That’s why I plan to introduce legislation at the next County Council meeting to strengthen our forest conservation law and better protect our remaining forest lands.”
Matt Johnston, the county’s environmental policy director, showed data from the federal Chesapeake Bay Program demonstrating that Anne Arundel County had lost 2,775 acres of forest since 2010 – the most of any county in Maryland.
“We’ve lost more forest than all of our neighboring counties combined,” said Johnston. “In fact, Anne Arundel County accounts for 40% of all the forest lost in Maryland counties in this decade. We continue to lose about 300 acres of forest a year to development. We have to do better – our future depends on it.”
Under current law, on a 100-acre parcel, up to 68 acres of forest can be cleared with no requirement to replant trees. When developers clear more than that, they also have an option to pay a “fee-in-lieu” instead of replanting. Anne Arundel County’s fee-in-lieu is $0.40 per square foot, among the lowest in the state.
County Executive Pittman’s draft legislation has five key components. The bill:
- increases the “conservation thresholds” that determine how much of a site developers may clear without having to replant or pay a fee;
- adds protections for the largest and most ecologically important forests;
- increases the fee-in-lieu amount from $0.40 to $2.50 per square foot;
- increases tree replanting requirements; and
- brings county code into compliance with the most recent state forest conservation code.
“This bill will transform our county from the clear cutting capital of Maryland to a leader in forest conservation,” said Pittman. “We believe we’ve found the formula that will become a model for other counties and potentially for future state legislation.”
The news release noted that Pittman has briefed all seven County Council Members on the bill and plans to introduce the legislation to the Council on September 3. Assuming that happens, a public hearing for the bill would likely be scheduled for October 7.
