Howard County
Forestry Board
History
In 1943 the Maryland Legislature passed an Act creating 24 Forest Conservancy Boards, one in each county and one in Baltimore City. Board members are appointed to three-year terms by the Assistant Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.The Boards act as advocates of sound forest management practices, and promote conservation of Maryland's forest resources. Board activities include educational programs, planting of school forests, and timber harvest plan reviews.
Because the Boards are county-based, each one develops an understanding and awareness of regional issues, becoming allies for local governments and landowners who are concerned with the maintenance and stewardship of public and private forest resources.
The Board members volunteer more than 200 hours each year teaching the value of trees and the best forest management practices. Among the varied activities of the Howard County Forestry Board the following programs are central to our mission.
- Howard County's Champion Trees
- Howard County, a member of Tree City USA, has a great variety of both native and exotic trees. In keeping with its mission to public awareness of our natural resources and the value of forest resource conservations, the Howard County Forestry Board maintains a register of the Champion Trees in our county.
- Riparian Buffer Planting
- Working with Howard County Department of Public Works, Department of Recreation and Parks and the State Department of Natural Resources, the Board helped plant hundreds of trees in Atholton Park.
- School Reforestation
- The Board participates in the Chesapeake Bay School Reforestation Project. School forests have been established at Elkridge Elementary, Patuxent Valley Middle, Clarksville Elementary, and Guilford Elementary.
- Howard County Arboreta
- The arboretum program is based on our conviction that an understanding of the importance of our local ecosystem is fundamental to having effective environmental programs. This program adds tree tags, interpretive signs and other educational services to existing parks and cultivated gardens in the county.
- Coloring Book
- A fun activity book for kids of all ages. Learn lots of surprising facts about trees and forests.
- ...in the Schools
- Howard County Forestry Board members are involved with the local schools in teaching tree identification, and environmental practices.
- Howard County Fair
- The Board donates books and educational materials to County libraries, maintaining the availability of up-to-date forest management information for forest landowners. The Board also participates in the annual Howard County Fair in West Friendship in August.
- Arbor Day
- The Howard County Forester and Board members visit County elementary schools to talk about the importance of trees and distribute tree seedlings to students. Each year the Board donates a tree to celebrate Howard County's designation as a "Tree City USA".
- Forestry Camp
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The Howard County Forestry Board, in cooperation with the Maryland Department
of Natural Resources, sponsors an annual workshop for high school students
at the Forestry Conservation and Resources Week held at the Camp Hickory
Environmental Education Center in Garrett County. The board selects and
sponsors two students, who contemplate careers in resource management,
to attend the week-long program.
- Forestry Education in Maryland
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Allegany College of Maryland - Forest Technology
University of Maryland - Urban and Community Foresty - Other Sites of Interest:
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Blossoms of Hope
Website for Kids
The 2008 version of Howard County's Champion Tree book is now online!