Property owners in Harford County with streams or creeks on their land are eligible to receive a free package of seedling trees through a new program designed to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
Known as the Backyard Buffers Program, it seeks to increase the number of soil-penetrating trees along bay tributaries on small properties.
For years, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service has organized the planting of trees on large properties as a way to establish forested areas with root systems capable of holding soil in place and preventing erosion, but many properties where erosion is a problem are relatively small and don't lend themselves to large-scale tree plantings.
The Backyard Buffers Program seeks to fill this gap by giving free to landowners what is being called a "buffer in a bag," a package containing each of five species of trees: river birch, swamp white oak, American plum, silky dogwood and red osier dogwood.
Anyone interested can contact the Forest Service preferably by e-mail, flopez@dnr.state.md.us, or by phone, 410-836-4564.
