Maryland Urban and Community Forestry Programs

Community Programs Listing - This link will take you to a listing of your local forest offices by county. They can give you information on any of the following community programs.

TREEMENDOUS MARYLAND - Every year the Maryland DNR Forest Service's Forest Rangers assist communities and individuals in planting thousands of trees in Maryland's urban and rural areas. The service offers many tree planting opportunities through programs such as Forest Stewardship, Urban and Community Forestry, TREE-MENDOUS MARYLAND, Arbor Day, and planting school forests in cooperation with local Forestry Boards.

Maryland Urban Community and Forest Committee - MUCFC is a volunteer group of citizens, professionals, and government officials united to protect and enhance Maryland's forest ecosystems. The council conducts tree care and planting workshops, recognizes communities for establishing tree care and planting programs and publishes a twice yearly newsletter (Community Forest Views) with news, technical articles, notification of legislative changes, and upcoming regional events.

Guide to Forestry Assistance Programs - Maryland Community Forest Council also provides a complete guide to forestry assistance programs. Interested parties can find programs for individuals who want to volunteer, individuals who cannot volunteer; programs for homeowners or landowners who would like to plant trees on their property, manage their forest, protect eroding shorelines and streambanks, or just learn more about trees and wildlife; programs for community groups who would like to get involved in tree planting and care activities or shoreline and streambank preservation; and programs for schools interested in educational activities or tree planting and care programs.

Tree Cities USA - This awards program, offered by the National Arbor Day Foundation, is designed to recognize communities that effectively manage their public tree resources, and to encourage the implementation of community tree management based on four TREE CITY USA standards. The four standards are:
1. A Tree Board or Department responsible for tree care;
2. A Tree Ordinance;
3. A Community Forestry Plan supported by spending of at least $2.00 per capita, and;
4. An Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Maryland PLANT (People Loving And Nurturing Trees) - Sponsored by the DNR Forest Service and the Maryland Community Forest Council. This program is open, not only to communities in the formal sense, such as the cities and towns that can participate in the Tree City USA program, but also communities of interest and smaller "communities of place," such as homeowners' associations, schools, and churches. You can download a PLANT brochure and application at their site.

Revitalizing Baltimore - A national model for community forestry and watershed restoration. Reaching out to culturally diverse communities, Revitalizing Baltimore, or "RB," helps residents plant trees along streets and streams, monitor water quality, convert vacant lots into community green spaces, improve neighborhood parks, and supports youth education programs to foster stewardship of natural resources.

Forestry Boards - In partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service, 24 Forestry Boards strive to promote appreciation and concern for forests and trees. Board members support the concept of wise conservation , management and use of trees and forests in Maryland. The Boards, one in each of Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City, together function as the State Association of Forest Conservancy District Boards. Forestry Boards provide leadership for improvement of the environment in urban, suburban and rural areas, and educate people about the variety of benefits trees and forests provide.

Maryland's Wild Acres - Because wild animals need large areas of land to find food, water and shelter, your backyard wildlife home could become a part of a network of "WILD ACRES" used by the animals that visit and live in it. Maryland's Wild Acres Program is a way to make your property a part of this network.