Take Action: 3 Bills to Protect MD Forests

Update: HB 735 - The bill mandating study of forest protection passed unanimously in the house. The Fee-in-Lieu bill passed in the senate as well!- thanks so much to all those that wrote in! 

These bills need your help this week to protect Forests - we can't delay another year- thanks for your quick action!

What if there were a product that could provide clean water and air, cool our world, sequester carbon and provide habitat at the same time? If a tech giant were creating such a tool it would have major buzz- the next big thing. But this tool is not flashy or new and it is not of our making - it's trees. 
While forests offer all these incredible benefits, we are not protecting them as we should at a time that we need their services more than ever. The Chesapeake Bay Program has found Maryland is  losing a dozen acres per day. 3 bills in Annapolis aim to reverse this trend - and they need your support. Click "start writing" below to send a quick letter!

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The Bills

• Properly define "Forests" HB 120 / SB 203 the state's current goal of "no net loss" is flawed. This bill would ensure the state is working to protect real forests that contribute to healthy soils and habitat.
•  Fixing the Fee-in-Lieu Program HB 272 / SB 234 : Local governments often collect fees in lieu of the developer's reforestation responsibilities. This bill would ensure that the same amount of forest is replanted regardless of who is responsible. (We are working on this at the County Level with ourRe-Leaf the Reserve program) 
• Creating a Task Force (HB 735 / SB 729 : Maryland needs a Task Force to address future deforestation and recommend forest improvements. 

Press on these Bills
​Time to Close the Loopholes in MD's Forest Conservation Laws (Balt Sun)
Spare MD's Trees (Balt Sun)
No Net Trees Lost is Good for MD's Forests (Cap. Gazette)

Where to next?
MCA's Re-Leaf the Reserve Program 
Take Action: Support the Farm Food Donation Program 
Who's Your Farmer? Sign up for a CSA