Convention Field Tours Showcase Maryland and the Mid-Atlanta Region 

May 18, 2022
Written by Kimberly Bohn, Ph.D

Most people associate Maryland with the Chesapeake Bay--and for good reason. Who doesn’t love blue crabs, fresh seafood, and Old Bay? But not as many people associate Maryland with forestry and the important role forests play to such an iconic ecosystem. Local governments, conservation groups, US Forest Service, and others are working to change this perception. The Chesapeake Bay watershed covers 64,000 square miles and spans the six states of Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and the District of Columbia. Protecting the water quality of the bay takes a large-scale collaborative effort not only from these organizations, but from forest landowners as well. 

In the Chesapeake Shore: Forests for the Bay technical field tour, you will get to learn from a variety of stakeholders about these efforts. Join us at two waterfront locations on state and private lands to learn about the partnerships, programs, and innovations in outreach and landscape analysis for better water, air, habitat, fuel management, and local wood economy. 

Tour stops include an active landowner property on an Eastern Shore peninsula and Sandy Point State Park on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay with highlights including the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership, Chesapeake Forest Restoration Strategy and Shared Stewardship Agreement, and the Delmarva Woodland Stewards Program. This latter program encourages private landowners from across Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia to enhance forest and wildlife management practices, promote the ecological benefits of prescribed fire, and pursue tree planting opportunities for water quality. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is another key organization in the region and will be highlighting the success of their Healthy Forests/Healthy Waters, Forests for the Bay, and Tree Tenders programs. 

After lunch, the tour will offer an immersive Chesapeake experience with your choice of hiking along the Chesapeake Bay tidal wetlands and forests or on the water for explorations of Chesapeake Bay ecology on a classic dead rise fishing boat.

To sign up for this tour, or to learn more about the other field trip options being offered, visit the "Technical Tours" section of the program tab at safconvention.org or click here. This year we are offering five full-day technical field tours on Tuesday, September 20, and one full day and one half-day tour on Saturday, September 24. Additional tour options range from exploring the latest agroforestry techniques across rural Maryland and Pennsylvania, to large-scale watershed and fire management across the suburban-urban gradient, to the many facets of urban forestry and wood utilization.

We look forward to showing you around the mid-Atlantic!

Kimberly Bohn, Ph.D (pictured above), Assistant Teaching Professor of Forestry at Penn State Mont Alto, serves as the General Chair for the 2022 SAF National Convention. She can be reached at [email protected].