Date Released
December 2000
Forests are vital to the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Policy makers and the public are now recognizing the role the Bay's forests play in helping to maintain water quality, air quality, watershed health and resilience, living resources, economic productivity, and the region’s quality of life. The new Chesapeake Bay Agreement signed in June 2000 commits Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, and federal agencies to take actions that will "promote the expansion and connection of contiguous forests" in the Bay watershed.