Anne Arundel County Government and the Chesapeake Bay Trust announce a partnership to provide funds for forestry projects and land protection in Anne Arundel County.
Donor Name: Chesapeake Bay Trust
State: Maryland
County: Anne Arundel County (MD)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/01/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The goal of this program is to implement cost-effective reforestation and greening projects and increase the number of acres of protected forested land in the County. By increasing tree cover and expanding green areas, erosion can be reduced; water and soil quality can be improved; airborne pollutants such as particulates, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide can be filtered; and summer temperatures and resulting ozone pollution and energy use can be reduced. By protecting forested land, valuable ecological services such as habitat, water quality, and flood control can be ensured for the future.
What this funds?

Reforestation/afforestation of Protected Lands.
Permanent protection of Forested Lands.
Reforestation/afforestation and Protection of Uneased and Unforested Lands.

Eligible Project Tracks

Track 1: Reforestation/Afforestation of Protected Lands

Funding partners seek reforestation and afforestation projects that provide ecological benefits by establishing, enhancing and/or preserving riparian buffers; creating, enhancing and/or preserve larger contiguous tracts of forest; and/or creating, enhancing, and/or preserving wildlife habitat, including habitat for forest interior dwelling species.

Track 2: Permanent Protection of Forested Lands

Applicants can apply to purchase, execute, record, and monitor permanent conservation easements to protect, maintain, and preserve existing tree canopy in Anne Arundel County. The permanent conservation easements shall be acquired, held, and maintained by the grantee or by a land trust subcontracted by the grantee. The best projects under this track are those seeking to protect ecologically valuable sites or existing habitats, such as riparian buffers, large contiguously forested tracts, and/or important wildlife habitat.

Track 3: Reforestation/Afforestation and Protection of Uneased and Unforested Lands

Applicants may request support for reforestation/afforestation projects on land that is not currently under conservation easement or otherwise protected. In such a case, the land must be owned by an individual or entity that will agree to place a permanent conservation easement, deed restriction, or long-term protective agreement for tree planting on the property on which the project is installed and that will protect the tree project. As in Track 2 above, funds for easement costs will be considered as eligible budget request items with the exception that the threshold value for requiring appraisals is $8,800, the NRCS WRP threshold for cropland. As described in Track 2 above, applicants may a) request easement costs below the threshold without incurring an obligation to obtain appraisals, b) request easement costs above the threshold and be responsible for obtaining appraisals as a condition of the award at an expense that will only be reimbursed if the project moves forward, or c) request easement costs above the threshold and supply justification in the form of at least one appraisal.

Funding Information
Up to $238,000 is currently available for this round of the program. Reimbursement cannot be made for already completed projects.
Project Period
Projects must be completed within 24 months upon receipt of the award. Requests to extend project completion period will be reviewed and considered on a case-by-case basis.
Project Location
This program funds projects in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Projects located within the City of Annapolis limits are not eligible for this program.
Eligibility Criteria 
Anne Arundel County and the Trust welcome requests from the following organizations:

Land trusts;
Nonprofit entities;
Community associations;
Service and civic groups,
Faith-based organizations;
Public agencies; and
Public and independent higher educational institutions.

For more information, visit Chesapeake Bay Trust.