Anne Arundel County plans to plant more than 12,000 trees at the headwaters of of Rockhold Creek and also purchase a 54-acre property on the Magothy River for conservation, County Executive John R. Leopold announced Monday.
The projects are funded by the county's reforestation fund, which was created in 1985. According to county law, anyone who cuts down trees must mitigate that environmental damage, by either planting new trees or paying into the fund, which currently contains $4.1 million
"This program reduces air and water pollution, provides habitat for wildlife and facilitates educational opportunities," Leopold said in a statement.
The county has already planed hundreds of trees on a small parcel near Rockhold Crrek and will plant 11,738 additional trees. A county spokesman said the county is awaiting bids on the project, so the cost was unknown.
County officials are still working on an appraisal of the 54-acre Spriggs property on the Magothy River. A 2007 study by researchers at the University of Vermont found that 59 percent of land in the county is covered by tree canopy – a higher percentage than almost every other jurisdiction studied.
