Back to the Woods
Once upon a time, the land surrounding Rockhold Creek’s headwaters in Southern Anne Arundel County was densely wooded. Over generations, the land was cleared for agriculture and pasture. This fall, that land will begin the return to its roots with the planting of 12,000 new trees.
The path to the reforestation project was cleared by recent legislation requested by County Executive John R. Leopold that eliminates a restriction on the use of reforestation money paid by developers.
“This program reduces air and water pollution, provides habitat for wildlife and facilitates educational opportunities using fees paid by people who do not include the required reforestation in their development plans,” Leopold explained.
The first beneficiary of the new law is a county-owned 400-acre farm at the headwaters of Rockhold Creek.
“This particular site was chosen in part because it is county owned and is large enough to take a substantial planting,” said spokesman David Abrams. “But it is also an important watershed.”