Reforestation

Trees and forests are important to Montgomery County citizens' quality of life because they filter groundwater, slow storm water runoff, help alleviate flooding, provide wildlife habitat, cleanse pollutants from the air, offset heat generated by development, and reduce energy needs. Woodlands also provide recreation, aesthetics, climate control, and peaceful places away from hectic modern life, making their preservation very important. Montgomery County passed a Forest Conservation Law in 1992 to save, maintain, and plant forested areas, and by 2013 more than 9,000 acres of existing forest and 2,000 acres of newly planted forest had been permanently protected. The law also established the Forest Conservation Fund, supported by fees paid by developers who remove forested areas and cannot meet forest mitigation requirements, to help fund reforestation projects such as the one that occurred at this site in 2008.

Chevy Chase, Maryland · United States