Another County Program to Help Private Property Owners Conserve in Howard County

A few weeks ago I told you about the Howard County’s Stream ReLeaf Program.  The program is designed to augment stream buffers, which are the protective coverings of trees, shrubs and other vegetation along the banks of a stream, by providing free native trees and shrubs to qualifying homeowners.

Run by the Natural Resources Division of the Department of Recreation & Parks, Stream ReLeaf is part of the , which tries to increase forest cover and stream buffers on residential property. Trees and shrubs planted along these streams help prevent erosion, provide vegetative cover and trap nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which are two major pollutants of the Chesapeake Bay.

Also part of the Plant(it) Green Program is the new Private Forest Conservation Establishment (PFCE) program. The PFCE program is “designed to create forest conservation easements on private properties on a maximum of 50 acres in one or more easements,” according to program manager Megan Handshu.

The Department of Recreation and Parks is “responsible for site selection, development of forest conservation plans, preparation and recordation of forest conservation easement plats and agreements, site preparation, installation of forest plantings and management of plantings for a two year period. Forest conservation plans conform to the Howard County Forest Conservation Manual and easements created will remain in perpetuity” explains the official literature. 

To be considered for the PFCE program, properties need to be at least ten acres or larger. The forest conservation planting sites on the properties must be one acre or more.  Any areas already under federal or state programs that provide funds are not eligible for the PFCE program.

Sites are chosen to maximize water quality and habitat benefits, and are based on the following criteria, provided by the county:

• Meet or exceed minimum stream or wetland buffer requirements
• Located in stream headwater areas
• Located in the Patuxent Reservoirs water supply watershed
• Expand existing forest areas to increase forest interior habitat
• Connect adjacent forest areas to create wildlife corridors

Funding for the program is provided by Howard County’s Forest Conservation Act, which was established in 1993. The Act was established in order to reduce the number of forested acres cleared when land is developed for residential, commercial or industrial use. 

For further information and to see if your property qualifies, contact Megan Handshu at (410) 313-6205 or mhandshu@howardcountymd.gov.