We’re supporting an updated Forest Conservation Law—and we want to make it even stronger

Montgomery County Forest Coalition members ready to testify in support of the strongest possible Forest Conservation Law. Photo by Potomac Conservancy. Participating members include nature forward (formerly audubon naturalist society), chesapeake bay foundation, montgomery countryside alliance, sierra club montgomery county, friends of sligo creek, rock creek conservancy, defensores de la cuenca, friends of ten mile creek & little seneca reservoir, and montgomery county stormwater partners network.

October 24 Update:

Thank you to everyone who signed our summer petition and sent messages to the Montgomery County Council in support of strengthening the county's Forest Conservation Law!

Despite the outpouring of public support and sustained advocacy by coalition partners, the Montgomery County Council decided to not introduce legislation to strengthen the county's forest conservation laws this year.

This is a disappointing outcome because the Montgomery County Forest Conservation Law is thirty years old and out of date. In most cases, only ¼ acre of trees is required to be planted, per acre lost. As a result, Montgomery County has lost hundreds of acres of forest in the last decade – and we'll continue to lose forests without meaningful policy change and grassroots action.

The good news is that we don't have to wait for the County Council to support the health of local forests. You can help protect them right now by joining our Tomorrow’s Trees program to collect acorns which will be used to grow future forests.

We'll return to our advocacy for a stronger Forest Conservation Law during the Council's next legislative session, and we hope we can count on your support!

Original post:

Great news! In mid-September, the Montgomery County Council introduced an updated Forest Conservation Law (Bill 25-22) to significantly strengthen the county’s tree and forest protections.

This is an important step in the right direction. For every acre of forest lost in Montgomery County, in most cases, only ¼ acre is required to be planted. As a result, we've lost hundreds of acres of forest in the last decade. The laws are outdated and out of sync with the county's commitments to address water pollution, the climate crisis, and public health inequities.

Neighboring counties—Frederick, Howard, Carroll, and Anne Arundel—have each implemented stronger forest conservation laws. In fact, Carroll County requires four times as many acres of forest to be replanted as Montgomery County.

The introduction of an updated Forest Conservation Law is a result of ongoing efforts by the Montgomery County Forest Coalition (of which Potomac Conservancy is a founding member), the planning commission, supportive council members, and hundreds of messages from local residents.

This summer, over 240 neighbors signed Potomac Conservancy’s petition urging the bill’s introduction. Our voices matter!

But there is still work to be done. The Coalition is working to pass the strongest possible Forest Conservation Law for Montgomery County.

On October 4, 2022, our president Hedrick Belin proudly represented Potomac Conservancy and our local movement for clean water at a public hearing, speaking in support of the bill and to make it even stronger. Read his full testimony here.

“We support the updated Forest Conservation Law, Bill 25-22, with some strengthening amendments. We want to move from a goal of no net loss of forests to a net gain of forests; a goal that rises to the challenges of our time.”
—Hedrick Belin, President of Potomac Conservancy

Hedrick Belin — Photo by Potomac Conservancy.

In addition to protecting and replanting individual trees, the Montgomery County Forest Coalition is advocating for amendments to safeguard existing forests that support rich ecosystems, clean air, freshwater streams, and natural places for us all to enjoy. Read the full set of recommendations from the Montgomery County Forest Coalition here.

“We must not just aim to replace individual trees. We must prioritize protecting our existing forest ecosystems. And in special circumstances when those protections cannot be honored, we must require the creation of two acres of functioning forest for every one acre removed.
As we saw this spring, we frankly cannot afford anything less.”
—Hedrick Belin, President of Potomac Conservancy

Just like a forest is stronger than a single tree, our collective efforts are more impactful than what we can achieve on our own. Thank you for continuing to speak up for forests and clean water!