The Alliance is excited to announce the start of a new program designed to enhance the role of forest conservation and restoration in the Chesapeake region. The Chesapeake Forests program will work with partners to help private landowners, businesses and governments use forests to meet their environmental, economic and community objectives.

One of the program’s first projects will be to facilitate the use of forests to meet the needs of environmental programs and regulations. This work will help local governments achieve their Watershed Implementation Plan goals, foster the use of green infrastructure in programs like nutrient trading and help landowners find new ways to generate income by planting and protecting forests.

The Chesapeake Forests program will also continue its work to promote private forest management through Forestry for the Bay, provide training to real estate professionals on the importance of trees to communities, implement urban tree canopy goals to improve public health and demonstrate new approaches to forest conservation.

The Alliance is also pleased to welcome Eric Sprague to our team to lead these efforts. Eric has been promoting forest conservation in Bay for several years. He helped develop The State of Chesapeake Forests report, draft the Chesapeake Forest Conservation Directive and has developed new tools including LandServer and the Bay Bank Conservation Marketplace and partnerships to help landowners conserve and restore forests. Welcome aboard, Eric.