Forest Conservation Act

The County's Forest Conservation Act seeks to protect existing forests and when development requires any forest protection and/or clearing, appropriate replanting and easements are put into place. 

All development applications (except Administrative Subdivisions) require at least submitting the General Forest Information for the County and the Forest Information for the State. Otherwise, please check the appropriate application for guidance on what may apply when forest conservation is required. 

The Forest Conservation Manual contains, in the Appendices, all of the types of documents that may be needed for the type of forest conservation required, such as the Perpetual Protective Agreement Deed of Forest Conservation Easement or an Agricultural Declaration of Intent. The Intra-Family Declaration of Intent is also in the Manual but available as a separate document below.

Maryland Forest

Per the Annotated Code of Maryland Natural Resources Article, Title 5, Forests and Parks, §5-1610(c)(2)(i) and (ii), the current contribution rate (fee-in-lieu) for a project inside a Priority Funding Area is 30.5 cents per square foot of the area required for planting and for a project outside of a Priority Funding Area the rate is 36.6 cents.