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Forest Conservancy District Boards |
Information:
Programs Centennial City/County Boards:
Anne Arundel Baltimore Baltimore City Calvert Caroline Carroll Cecil Charles Dorchester Frederick Garrett Harford Howard Kent Montgomery Prince George's Queen Anne's Somerset St. Mary's Talbot Washington Wicomico Worcester
Maryland Forests Assn. Maryland Forestry Board Foundation Project Learning Tree Project Wild Big Tree Champions MFA Loggers Field Day Waterkeeper'Alliance |
In The News NASF and the President' s USFS S&PF budget in the media Major Funding Cuts for the USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry Program Frederick County's new wesite HistoryFor more than fifty years, Maryland's Forest Conservancy District Boards have been working to perpetuate Maryland's forest resource. As volunteer advocates for forestry, Forestry Board members focus their attention on Maryland's trees and forests...our renewable natural resource.The goals of the State Association of Forest Conservancy District Boards are:
We see a lot of different words when we read about natural resources. Conservation and preservation are just two of them, but they represent opposite views of how we should treat natural resources. Preservation means locking resources away and affecting them as little as possible. This approach is necessary when unique ecosystems or the habitat of endangered species are involved. These are treasures that cannot be replaced, so preservation of their living space is a valid means of ensuring their future. Conservation is sometimes confused with preservation, but by definition and proper usage it is totally different. Conservation is the wise use of natural resources to attain the maximum benefit possible from the resource base now, and for all future generations. In the United States we have looked at our natural resources as commodities for exploitation rather than as legacies to be husbanded for future generations. Only in recent generations have people started to look at conserving natural resources. Renewable resources have the capacity of regenerating themselves. So, through conservation there can be a sustained use of the resource over a long period of time. Conservation of wildlife, fisheries and forests means getting a maximum sustainable yield without adversely affecting the resource base. This is often easier said than done. Having for so long treated our resources as commodities, we have only limited experience with effective conservation measures. Most renewable resources take a very long time to renew themselves, and adverse effects are often not seen for decades. While it may take twenty years for a single tree to grow, a forest might not regenerate itself for centuries. How much confidence can we have that our current actions and plans will not have an adverse effect? The Forestry Boards throughout Maryland are led by volunteers who come from all walks of life; but all members are committed to finding the best answers to the basic conservation questions. Maryland's forests, both public and private, constitute a unique resource for us, and for future generations. The best use of those lands and those resources is a crucial issue not only for your Forestry Boards, but for all of us. ProgramsEach of the separate district boards have adopted a variety of programs designed to educate and inform the public and to promote good forest management practices.
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