Anne Arundel County Bill 68-19 became law on January 9, 2020. The bill changes the amount of forest that must be conserved and afforested or reforested on each development site. This memo outlines the major changes and provides a new Forest Conservation Worksheet that must be completed for each application that is subject to forest conservation requirements.
Conservation thresholds will now differ across sites based upon the following site characteristics:
- Size of the site - whether the site is above or below 5 acres in size;
- Land use of the site broken into the following categories:
- agricultural;
- resource;
- institutional;
- medium density residential;
- high density residential;
- mixed use;
- planned unit;
- commercial; and
- industrial;
- Underlying growth management area of the site broken into the following categories:
- targeted growth areas;
- priority funding areas outside targeted growth areas; and
- areas outside priority funding areas.
Additionally, reforestation requirements increased such that for every acre of forest removed above the retention threshold, one-half acre must be replanted.
Download the Forest Conservation Worksheet below and find additional information and documents at Development Resources.
The worksheet available online will automatically calculate all other necessary values, including afforestation and reforestation requirements after applicants provide the following information about their site:
- Growth Management Area;
- Land Use Type;
- Unique Tract Area - defined as a unique combination of growth management area and land use type; note that sites can have multiple unique tract areas;
- Universal Deductions - defined as the area of 100-yr floodplain and critical area within the unique tract area; note these deductions are universal as they apply across all growth management areas;
- Impervious Surface Deductions for Targeted Growth Areas and Priority Funding Areas;
- Existing Forest Cover within the Unique Tract Area; and
- Proposed Forest Clearing within the Unique Tract Area.