WASTE WOOD UTILIZATION WORKSHOP

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June 28, 2006
WASTE WOOD UTILIZATION WORKSHOP Forest
Sustainability Program for Baltimore County, MD
Donald C. Outen, AICP Natural Resource
Manager douten_at_co.ba.md.us 410-887-4488 x238
Department of Environmental Protection and
Resource Management
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Baltimore County Renaissance Redevelopment

• Forest Sustainability Strategy
• Land Preservation Strategy
• Water Quality Watershed Restoration Program

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Water Quality Protection Ranking Chesapeake Bay
Programs Resource Lands Assessment
Low Moderate Medium High High
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Linking Communities to the Montreal Process
Criteria Indicators - County Pilot Projects
Wallowa Gogebic
Baltimore County
County County Land Area (sq.
mi.) 3,145 1,112 599 Population
(2003) 7,082 17,329 777,184 Population
(2000) 7,226 17,370 754,292 2000 Density (sq.
mi.) 2.3 15.8 1,260.1 Forest Cover
52 80 34 Publicly-owned forest
56 52 25 Forest acres
(1000s) 1,049 570 130
Wallowa County, OR
Gogebic County, MI Baltimore
County, MD
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Forest Sustainability meeting the needs of
society today without diminishing the
ability of future generations to meet their needs

• Montreal Process Criteria
• Conservation of Biological Diversity
• 2. Maintenance of the Productive Capacity of
  Forest Ecosystems
• 3. Maintenance of Forest Ecosystem Health and
  Vitality
• 4. Conservation and Maintenance of Soil and
  Water Resources
• 5. Maintenance of Forest Contribution to Global
  Carbon Cycles
• 6. Maintenance and Enhancement of Long-Term
  Multiple Socio-Economic Benefits to Meet the
  Needs of Societies
• Legal, Institutional, and Economic Framework for
  Forest Conservation and Sustainable Management

http//www.mpci.org/home_e.html
The MP Indicators measure forest sustainability
at national levels.
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Inside the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line (URDL)
90 of the Population 33.6 of the Land 16.8
of the Forests
Forest (133k ac) Grass Impervious URDL (adopted
1967)
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Baltimore County Forest Resources

• FOREST LOSS
• forests cover only 34 of the County (v.
  pre-settlement 95)
• 67 of forests on development sites are retained
  (Forest Conservation Act)
• forest lost to development averages 230 acres
  per year
• FRAGMENTATION
• gt 9,000 patches mean patch size is 14.6 acres
• half lt 0.25 acre total 418 acres or 0.3 of
  forests
• 315 patches gt 100 acres comprise 6.5 of
  patches and 62 of forests
• OWNERSHIP
• 75 of forests are privately owned
• PARCELIZATION
• est. gt50,000 owners of forest patches
• 32 of patches have 1 owner but total only 4 of
  forest acres
• HABITAT
• 13 of forests are interior (gt500 from a
  forest edge)
• WATER QUALITY
• 52 of 100-foot stream buffer areas are forested
• 28 of forest cover is located within 100-foot
  riparian buffer areas

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Forest Parcelization
MANAGING THIS 240-ACRE FOREST PATCH TO PROTECT
THE FOREST AND STREAM
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Forest Parcelization
BECOMES A CHALLENGE BECAUSE THERE ARE DOZENS OF
OWNERS
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Developing a Forest Sustainability Program

1. Sustainability Issues and Indicators Forum (June
   2003)
2. Stakeholder Steering Committee (July 2003)
3. Issues and Indicators Paper and web site
   (December 2003)
4. Draft Forest Sustainability Strategy (November
   2005) goals, actions and assessment needs for
   15 sustainability issues
5. Partnership Memorandum of Understanding for
   Sustainable Forest Management (November 2005)
6. Strategy Implementation

http//www.co.ba.md.us/Agncies/environment/workg
roup User name deprm Password
environment
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DRAFT Forest Sustainability Strategy

• 15 Ecological and Economic Sustainability Issues
• 42 Proposed Goals
• 101 Recommended Actions
• 85 Recommended Assessment and Data Analyses

http//www.co.ba.md.us/Agncies/environment/workg
roup User name deprm Password
environment
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Guiding Principles for Forest Sustainability

1. Proactive resource management v. benign neglect
   or chance.
2. Manage for both ecological and economic
   sustainability. Use the Montreal Process
   Criteria and Indicators framework.
3. County-wide management. Assure that urban
   forests and other treed areas not traditionally
   considered forest are included.
4. Address multiple stressors comprehensively.
5. Develop and use sustainability indicators,
   supported by adequate assessment and monitoring.
   Work with federal and State agencies on a Forest
   Health Monitoring program. Goal better data,
   better dialogue, better decisions.

• Favor non-regulatory means, including education,
  technical assistance, and financial incentives.
• Institutionalize initiatives and integrate into
  existing land use and environmental programs.
• Continue to facilitate participation of
  parties-at-interest (federal and state agencies,
  the forest industry, environmental organizations,
  and citizens) in an open process to implement
  forest sustainability.
• Demonstrate leadership by example and make forest
  sustain-ability a priority for management of
  County-owned lands.
• Report progress periodically to the County
  Council and the public. Maintain program
  website.

http//www.co.ba.md.us/Agncies/environment/workg
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environment
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Forest Sustainability Strategy

• Ecological Sustainability Issues
• Forest Cover Loss
• Forest Fragmentation
• Effects of Forest Loss on Water Quality and
  Quantity and Stream Function
• Conservation of Biological Diversity
• Exotic, Invasive Plant and Animal Species
  Invasion
• Forests in Key Sensitive Areas (Riparian Buffers,
  Recharge Areas, Reservoir Watersheds)
• Deer Browsing Threats to Forest Regeneration

• Economic Sustainability Issues
• Valuing Forest Ecosystem Services
• Reduction of Greenhouse Gases (Carbon
  Sequestration Market Mechanisms)
• Landowner Attitudes Toward Forest Management
• Public Education about Forest Science
• Cost and Legal Barriers to Sustainable Forest
  Management
• Markets for Local Forest Products Utilization
• Timber Management for Sustainable Forests
• Forest Management Plans for Publicly-Owned
  Forests

http//www.co.ba.md.us/Agncies/environment/workg
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environment
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Continuing Partnership for Implementing Forest
Sustainability

• MOU for Sustainable Forest Management (Nov. 2005)
• Forest Sustainability Strategy
• Roundtable on Sustainable Forests

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Implementing Forest Sustainability in Baltimore
County

• CORE STRATEGY
• Retain existing forests to degree possible
• Reforest priority environmental areas (riparian
  buffers, reservoirs, etc.)
• Promote sustainable forest management by public
  and private sectors
• PRIORITY ACTIONS
• Incorporate forest sustainability initiatives
  into regional Reservoir Watershed Management
  Agreement
• Incorporate forest management as a water quality
  BMP for regulatory programs (NPDES, TMDLs)
• Continue to implement Forest Sustainability
  Strategy through new partnerships and operating
  and capital budget initiatives
• Incorporate forest resource assessments into
  community plans
• Foster forest education and landowner stewardship
• Encourage inter-agency development and adoption
  of forest and community sustainability indicators

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2006-2007 Work Program

• Capital Budget Projects
• Growing Home Campaign
• Rural Residential Stewardship Initiative
• Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Network
• Urban Forest Assessment (UFORE)
• Forest Markets Carbon, Biomass/Renewable
  Energy, Timber and Alternative Forest Products
• Urban Tree Canopy Goals Study
• 5E Forum Forest Strategy Implementation
• Education, Ecology, Economics, Easements, and
  Env. Indicators actions in 2005 Forest
  Sustainability Strategy
• Roundtable on Sustainable Forests
• County case study outreach to local governments
• American Planning Association
• PAS Report Planning with Urban Forestry