Trees are the Answer

Ask a question about our environment – the Chesapeake Bay, air quality, wildlife habitat, even climate change – and more likely than not, trees are a big part of the answer.

Trees clean the air we breathe and filter the water we drink. They provide homes for all types of birds and animals. They help cool temperatures, reducing energy costs and the greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuels. They beautify our neighborhoods and highways, increase property values, and contribute to safer communities.

Here in Maryland, we have worked hard to earn our reputation as leaders and innovators in forestry practices. Citizens have planted and registered more than 110,000 trees through our Marylanders Plant Trees program, and that number continues to climb. In the space three years the Maryland inmates’ Forest Brigade planted a record one million trees on public lands. Students are now planting buffers along stream sides near their schools, through the Stream Restoration Challenge.

Last year, our General Assembly passed a no-net-loss of forest law, first-of-its-kind legislation committing us to maintaining or expanding our current 40 percent tree canopy. Last month, we launched Lawn to Woodland, a program to provide free trees, planting and technical services for landowners who agree to convert one to four acres of unused lawn to forest cover.

Still, with so much progress, challenges remain, especially when it comes to our urban tree canopy – street trees and patch forests located in and around our cities. Wednesday we celebrated Arbor Day in Maryland and on Friday, I met with more than 20 experts on this critical issue, including representatives from municipal governments, non-governmental organizations and State agencies. Together we identified a host of opportunities for escalating doing more and doing better.

Because this work is happening at every level, we agreed on the urgent need to develop a cohesive statewide strategy for protecting and expanding our urban tree cover. Standards, specifications, performance measures, monitoring requirements and protection ordinances will be key components of our overall new common platform. And I committed to using State resources – BayStat, the Cabinet at large, and our mapping technologies – to help get us there.

Additional grow-out stations managed by Maryland inmates can help us meet the demand for native species, the trees that are best suited to perform environmental services here. Increasing incentives – coupons, free trees, planting assistance and technical advice – will help us engage more citizens. Targeting priority neighborhoods and committing to maintenance for at least the first two growing seasons can significantly improve the survival rate of new trees. And of course, at the crux of every environmental effort is encouraging citizen stewardship — individuals taking action toward the common good.

All this talk of trees reminds me of an experience I had a long time ago, when a friend showed me an enormous pine tree on his family’s property.

“It’s hard to believe that grew from a Christmas tree we replanted one year,” he said.

Awed by tree’s size and stature, I had to ask, “How does that make you feel?”

I will never forget his response.

“It makes me feel like I should have planted more trees.”

As Marylanders, we take pride in working together to create a smarter, greener more sustainable state. Planting and maintaining trees are by far the easiest, least expensive and longest lasting contributions we can make. And I hope you will join us as this conversation continues and our work progresses.