Abstract
The sustainable management of Maryland’s Chesapeake Forest Lands began in 2000 through collaboration between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forest Service and The Conservation Fund and continues today with a mix of public land managers and private contractors. The Conservation Fund, acting for the Richard King Mellon Foundation, acquired 29,000 acres (ac) (11,736 hectares (ha)) of former industrial forests on Maryland’s eastern shore, while the state of Maryland purchased an additional 29,000ac from the same ownership. The Conservation Fund then gifted its land to Maryland, but with a unique twist; it came with a sustainable forest management plan with a commitment to meet environmental goals while supporting the local economy. The result is a state-owned forest with daily silvicultural operations being carried out by a private forestry firm overseen by a state land manager, dual-certified through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council. This uncommon arrangement in state land management has created new challenges and opportunities, which offer lessons learned that transfer well beyond these forests.
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