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Forestry Resources
Regulations
Maryland Environment Article, Title 4, Subtitle 1 requires that
an erosion and sediment control plan be approved before
disturbing 5000 square feet or 100 cubic yards of earth. This
includes the building of roads, skid trails, landing areas, and
any other disturbance associated with forest harvest operations.
Standard Plan
Maryland has developed a Compliance Agreement for the Standard
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan for Forest Harvest Operations,
commonly referred to as a Standard Plan. This plan lists general
sediment control requirements and the site conditions to which
the plan is applicable. If all the conditions of the Standard
Plan cannot be met, it is necessary to have a plan amendment or
modification prepared by a licensed forester. It is important
that a request for a Standard Plan modification identify the
location of the modification and the specific sediment control
measures to be used. The Compliance Agreement is the part of the
plan that an operator/applicant signs verifying that the harvest
operation will be conducted according to the conditions of the
Standard Plan.
Buffer Management Plan
The Standard Plan requires that uncut buffer zones called Stream
Side Zones (SMZ) be maintained on all sides of perennial or
intermittent streams, rivers, drainways, and lakes. The width of
the buffer is dependent upon the slope of the land adjacent to
the watercourse and is based upon the following formula:
|
Average Percent Slope to Watercourse |
Width of Buffer on each side of
Watercourse (feet) |
|
1-10 |
75 |
|
11-20 |
100 |
|
21-30 |
150 |
|
31-40 |
200 |
|
41+ |
250 |
Limited harvesting is permitted within a buffer provided that a
Buffer Management Plan is prepared by a licensed forester. The
objective of the Buffer Management Plan is to ensure that an
effective wooded buffer of 60 square feet/acre of basal area of
evenly distributed trees, and 6 inches or greater in diameter of
acceptable growing stock remains after harvest and that minimal
damage occurs to the humus or litter layer within the buffer.
Non-Tidal Wetlands
The Maryland Non-Tidal Wetland Protection Act regulates forest
harvest operations occurring in non-tidal wetlands. The act
requires a person conducting forest harvest activities in
non-tidal wetlands to implement Best Management Practices (BMP)
to protect the wetlands. The Best Management Practices must be
incorporated into the erosion and sediment control plan prepared
for the harvest operation, and submitted to the Conservation
District for approval if wetlands are present. This is
accomplished by including a Wetland BMP Checklist with the
sediment control plan that identifies the specific measures that
will be implemented or followed to protect the wetlands.
The Non-Tidal Wetland Regulations require that a wetland
delineation be provided to the Conservation District for
verification as part of the erosion and sediment review and
approval process. It is the responsibility of the applicant to
provide the delineation to be verified by the Conservation
District. In determining the presence of non-tidal wetlands, it
may be beneficial to consult the county soil survey for the
occurrence of hydric soils and hydric soils with inclusions.
Also, Wetlands of Special State Concern maps are available for
viewing at the Conservation District office.
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