New Case Study of Baltimore County’s Forest Sustainability Project

December 19, 2007

Contact:
Kris Hoellen, Conservation Leadership Network, 304.876.7462
Vanessa Vaughan, The Conservation Fund, 703.908.5809

Arlington, VA – The Conservation Fund’s Green Infrastructure Leadership Program recently released a new case study authored by Dana Coehlo of USDA Forest Service on the Baltimore County Forest Sustainability Project. This is the latest in a series of case studies that highlights successful and innovative green infrastructure projects from around the country, created so that communities can learn from and improve upon approaches tried by others.

The Baltimore County Forest Sustainability Project engaged stakeholders in developing a Forest Sustainability Strategy for the county, allowing participants with divergent points of view to develop a common understanding of local forest issues, identify those issues requiring additional study and agree on necessary actions to ensure the long-term health and vitality of Baltimore County’s diverse forest resources in the face of continuing development pressure. The recent action of the Chesapeake Executive Council on forest protection underscores the importance of the health, location and extent of this form of land cover to the overall health of the Bay.

The green infrastructure approach helps communities balance environmental and economic goals by simultaneously focusing on the best lands to conserve and the best lands to accommodate development. Green infrastructure projects bring together public and private partners concerned about biodiversity, habitat and land conservation as well as working lands, such as farms and forests, smart growth and community planning.

The Conservation Fund’s Green Infrastructure Leadership Program was created in 1999 to build the capacity of land conservation professionals and their partners to undertake strategic conservation activities that are proactive, systematic, well integrated and applied at multiple scales. The program is a cooperative effort involving multiple public and private partners.

To download this case study, please visit www.GreenInfrastructure.net/baltimore_county_md.

About the Green Infrastructure Leadership Program

The Conservation Fund’s Green Infrastructure Leadership Program promotes strategic conservation principles and approaches to define sustainable landscapes at various scales. National and regional training courses offered through the Conservation Leadership Network complement assessment and network design services, information resources and other services on green infrastructure.

About The Conservation Fund

The Conservation Fund is the nation's foremost environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting America's land and water legacy for current and future generations. Seeking innovative conservation solutions for the 21st century, the Fund works to integrate economic and environmental goals. Since its founding in 1985, the Fund has helped its partners safeguard wildlife habitat, working landscapes, community “greenspace” and historic sites totaling more than 6 million acres. With 1% fundraising costs and 97% program allocation, The Conservation Fund is recognized as the nation's top-rated environmental nonprofit by both the American Institute of Philanthropy and Charity Navigator.