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Forests and Plant Communities
Trees, forests, and other natural plant communities contribute a variety of vital benefits and services to
human and natural communities. Forests maintain and improve water and air quality, stabilize soils, provide
wildlife habitat, reduce summer temperatures, provide recreational opportunities, beautify neighborhoods,
and strengthen the human spirit.
Trees and other vegetation can be easily enhanced through proper planning and management.
Schoolchildren can plant trees along streams, community residents can improve the conditions of neighbor-hood
parks and lots, and planners and developers can help protect our remaining forest areas. Each of these
actions can improve the health of the urban forest and thus the health of our local environment.
Key Findings about the Forests in the Gwynns Falls Watershed:
- Forests now cover approximately 7,542 acres within the Gwynns Falls Watershed.
- Recent estimates indicate a 27% reduction in forest cover in the Gwynns Falls Watershed from
1973 to 1994, from 24.8% of land down to 18.1%. This reduction has occurred throughout the
watershed, with heavier forest losses in the upper reaches of Baltimore County.
- The proportion of forest cover within sub-watersheds ranges from 11% to 50% within Baltimore
County, and from 2% to 30% within Baltimore City sub-watersheds.
- Residential and commercial areas have an average tree canopy coverage of about 17%.
- Only 42% of the stream buffers in the watershed are currently forested. Buffers of forest immediately
adjacent to a stream help filter water, stabilize stream banks, and cool water temperatures.
- Forest cover is distributed throughout the landscape in an uneven and fragmented pattern that
reflects past land use and development. Indeed, much of the forested land in the watershed occurs
in small patches of less than five acres.
- There are two large, contiguous forest parcels within the watershed, both of which are publicly owned:
1) The 1,200-acre Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park, maintained by the Baltimore City Department of
Public Works, is one of the largest urban wilderness parks on the East Coast, and;
2) The Soldiers Delight Natural Resource Area, managed by the Maryland State Department of
Natural Resources, contains 1,000 acres within the Gwynns Falls Watershed. It contains a
unique serpentine barren and is home to 39 rare and endangered species.
Forested lands within many parts of the Gwynns Falls Watershed currently fall below vital thresholds
for maintaining important ecological services and functions, such as water quality, air quality, wildlife
habitat, and open spaces for recreation and renewal.
Restoring forest and urban tree cover in the Gwynns Falls to levels that support these functions will
require community action, public commitment, and long-term partnerships that are ultimately directed by
the values and needs of local communities and by the ecological constraints and opportunities presented
by the landscape.
| Benefits of Trees |
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Beautify neighborhoods |
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Increase property values |
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Cool communities |
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Help save energy |
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Improve water and air quality |
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Reduce noise pollution |
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Stabilize soils |
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Provide wildlife habitat |
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Provide fruits, nuts, and other products |
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| Actions to Enhance Urban Forests |
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Plant trees |
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Mulch, water, and care for trees |
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Adopt trees |
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Protect existing forested areas |
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Improve or tend a community park or vacant lot |
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Speak up: Be an advocate for trees |
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