Text Version of this Timeline

1906 - Creation of Garrett State Forest, Maryland’s Public Lands system; State Board of Forestry
A gift of 1,917 acres by John and Robert Garrett spurred the formation of State's public land systems.

1912 - First State Parkland Purchased
Fifty Thousand dollars and $8,500 in state appropriations committed for the purchase of Patapsco State Park and Fort Frederick State Park, respectively.

1916 - First Maryland Forest Survey Published
Published by Fred W. Besley, Maryland's first State Forester, after a 7-year comprehensive survey of the State's forests, the first of its kind in the nation.

1933 - Creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps
Fourteen CCC camps were established in Maryland employing thousands of young men in conservation-related activities such as erecting fire towers, constructing roads, fighting forest fires and planting trees. By the time they closed in 1942, 64 CCC camps had operated statewide.

1941 - Maryland’s State Tree & Tree Species Designated
The Wye Oak in Talbot County and the white oak were officially designated State Tree and State Tree Species. The Wye Oak also stood as the national champion white oak for many years.

1943 - Forest Conservancy District Boards Authorized
Started to assist the Department of Forests and Parks, promoting forest management on privately-owned woodlands, their objective was to guarantee a continuous supply of wood fiber productsthrough scientific forest management. Today the Forest Conservancy District Boards exist in all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City, working to educate people about the benefits of forests.

1971 - Maryland Wildlands Act Passed and Maryland Darter Etheostoma sellare
Wildland status granted by the Maryland General Asssembly; calls for designated areas to be managed to provide threatened and endangered species protection, watershed and water quiality protection, wilderness resdearch, preservation of unique ecological communities, and primitive recreation. To daye 29 wildlands have been designated on more than 43,770 acres throughout Maryland.

1984 - Passage of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Law
Established a 1,000 foot critical area zone adjacent to the Chesapedake Bay and its tributaries; also recognized forests as a major protected land use and required local jurisdictions to create plans to protect them within the critical area.

1991 - Passage of the Maryland Forest Conservation Act
The nation's only statewide law of its kind, requires local jurisdictions too create local Forest Conservation Plans and ordinances to protect trees during and after the land development process.

1996 - Riparian Forest Buffer initiative / Stream ReLeaf
Adopted by the Chesapeake Bay Program Executive Council, it recognized the need for natural streamside buffers. Expanding on that is the Urban Tree Canopy, (Urban Tree Canopy Formally Recognized in Bay Restoration Strategy in 2002) which offers storm water control and water quality benefits for municipalities.