Land Acquisition and Planning

Tracking Our Progress: Acreage Reports

Annual Department of Natural Resources Acreage Report

This data is provided by the Real Property team in the Land Acquisition and Planning Unit of Department of Natural Resources. Our report is updated annually and tracks the state lands purchased by the Department of Natural Resources. Figures are based on actual settlement documents as they are recorded in each county. Each county is different and it may take many weeks to several months for the departments land purchases to actually be recorded in the official county records. The Annual Department of Natural Resources Acreage Report only reflects department owned land.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Land Preservation Programs

Maryland has been a national leader in land conservation for more than 50 years. The purpose of State land preservation and recreation programs is to advance land conservation, the resource-based businesses that depend on the land base, and outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Maryland. According to statute, the majority of funding for State land preservation and recreation programs is provided through the collection of a 0.5% State property transfer tax. This funding mechanism was designed to directly tie development to available funding for open space and recreational facilities for the public good.

Program	FY2024 - Acres Protected	Total Acres Protected	Date Last Updated
CREP Permanent Easements	86	13,167	12/31/2023
Forest Legacy	0	1,622	1/18/2012
Maryland Environmental Trust	896	142,044	12/31/2023
Program Open Space (POS) Local	611	51,317	12/31/2023
Program Open Space (POS) Stateside - Easement	4	47,952	12/31/2023
Program Open Space (POS) Stateside - Fee	73	306,291	12/31/2023
Rural Legacy	1,669	122,555	12/31/2023
Total	3,339	684,947	12/31/2023

Note: Next update for 3/31/2024 will be available mid-May 2024. Reported figures are based on best-available data at the time. CREP Permanent Easements, POS Local, POS Stateside-Easement, POS Stateside-Fee and Rural Legacy acres are based on the date of Board of Public Works approval. Tracking and reporting mechanisms are continually being refined and may result in changes to reported figures.

Maryland Land Preservation Dashboard

The Maryland land preservation dashboard is designed to let you assess the current status of Maryland's land preservation efforts and to access the tabular data that informs the dashboard as well as available land preservation GIS data. Created in coordination with DNR and Planning's Geospatial and Data Analysis Unit, the dashboard incorporates data from local, state, federal, and non-governmental preservation programs. Click here to access the protected lands dashboard user guide.