19th Annual Training Conference

The health of many public forests in Maryland is threatened.  Challenging the norm of “benign neglect,” Don uses Baltimore County’s 1000-acre Oregon Ridge Park as a case study for proactive management for forest ecosystem health and sustainability.  This case study covers a decade of work beginning with a quantitative forest health assessment and management plan developed to guide restorative management.  Don describes how forest science and practices are applied to manage the Oregon Ridge forest to protect water quality, provide for native habitat, and enhance recreational experiences for citizens in the face of oak decline, pests such as Gypsy moth, invasive plants, and deer herbivory.  The Oregon Ridge Park project is Maryland’s only example of a large public park being managed for forest health.