In addition to regulatory programs such as the Critical Area Commission (CAC) and Forest Conservation Act (FCA), Maryland state government, in recognition of the importance of forested lands to natural-resource based industries and environmental quality, has initiated numerous programmatic measures to conserve forested lands and promote responsible stewardship of forest resources. SFLA’s programmatic assessment attempts to evaluate how the distribution of the activities of these programs impacts the long term viability of the forested land base. An appraisal of the current distribution of public forest land conservation, as well as private landowner participation, will aid in determining where further forest conservation will have a positive impact.

Maryland state programs instrumental to forest land conservation (fee and easements) and management (cost-sharing, technical support, tax incentives) include, but are not limited to:

Land Conservation Programs

• Agricultural Easements

• Maryland’s Forest Legacy Program

• Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF)

• Maryland Environmental Trust (MET)

• Rural Legacy Program

Tax Incentives, Cost-Sharing and Management Programs

• Buffer Incentive Program

• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

• Forest Conservation Management Agreements (FCMAs)

• Forest Stewardship Program

• Urban and Community Forestry Program

• Woodland Incentive Program