In 2001, Redman Johnston
Associates (now Peter Johnston & Associates, LLC), with assistance from Zolna
Environmental Design of Baltimore, prepared a report on Riparian Forest Buffer (RFB) implementation programs in Maryland
coastal zone counties and municipalities for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources,
to assist them in assessing the State’s protection and tracking mechanisms for forest
and wetland restoration and conservation. The purpose of this effort was to provide
current and accurate information on the tracking and protection systems utilized by
Maryland counties in the Coastal Zone and Baltimore City, and to provide recommendations
to improve these systems based on the information gathered. The impetus for this
project began in the late 1990s, when the Executive Council of the Chesapeake Bay Program
made a commitment to increase the use of buffers in all riparian areas and restore 2010
miles of riparian buffers by the year 2010. The State of Maryland pledged to create
600 miles of riparian forest buffers towards the 2010-mile goal.
To facilitate the process of data
collection for the project, research was conducted on resource protection ordinances and
laws for 18 counties and over 20 municipalities. County governments and private
organizations were surveyed on the methods used for data collection, tracking and
protection of riparian forest buffer and wetland mitigation projects.
The Riparian Forest Buffer
Implementation Report included recommendations for improving the RFB measurement and
reporting standards used in Maryland's coastal zone counties, and will assist the State in
its efforts to measure the success of its goal to reduce nutrient pollution and increase
habitat within the Bay watershed.
