Chesapeake Forest Champions honored for conservation efforts

Conserving forests is critical to clean water, and honoring the champions of these vital habitats is central to the work of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. At its tenth annual Chesapeake Watershed Forum, the organization, with support from the U.S. Forest Service, recognized four Chesapeake Forest Champions: a non-profit protecting urban trees, a partnership promoting Pennsylvania forest buffers, a landowner duo managing a stewardship-certified forest and a leader in sustainable forest management.

Across the watershed, forests are disappearing at an average rate of 100 acres per day. This can mean less habitat for wildlife and more pollution flowing into rivers and streams. But the examples set by Chesapeake Forest Champions act as reminders of the local action that can restore the region’s resources.

Tree Fredericksburg, led by Anne and Carl Little, was named Most Effective at Engaging the Public for its work supporting a vibrant urban forest in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The largely volunteer organization has facilitated the planting of close to 4,000 trees since 2007—721 trees in 2014 alone. Each tree is looked after for two years after it is planted, and volunteers of all ages are trained in planting, mulching and pruning the trees.

A group of partners in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, was commended for Greatest On-the-Ground Impact. Through their efforts, the group has helped implement more than 3,000 acres of streamside forest buffers since the beginning of Pennsylvania’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), which compensates farmers in exchange for using their land for high-priority conservation issues. At the awards event, the group was represented by Cathy Yeakel from Bradford County Conservation District, Jen Johns from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Mike Hanawalt from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.

Virginia landowners Christine and Fred Andreae were recognized as Exemplary Forest Stewards. The pair actively manages close to 800 acres of land, which are protected under conservation easements and covered by six Forest Stewardship Management Plans. Their properties include a wildlife corridor that connects George Washington National Forest to Shenandoah National Park, as well as Milford Battlefield, a historical site from the Civil War. More than 2,000 feet of trails wind alongside the wildlife habitat, streamside plantings and native wildflowers on their property.

Don Outen received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 42 years of land use planning and forest management. For nearly three decades, Outen has worked at the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability, where he was instrumental in developing the county’s renowned Forest Sustainability program. As part of the Maryland Sustainable Forestry Council, Outen helped develop recommendations for the state’s “No Net Loss” policy for forests. He also serves as a member of the national Sustainable Forests roundtable.