What is the Baltimore Washington Partners for Forest Stewardship?

The Baltimore Washington Partners for Forest Stewardship (BWPFS) is a coalition of federal and local landowners, who have joined with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Center for Chesapeake Communities to promote collaborative strategies for the restoration, conservation and stewardship of shared forested ecosystems and managed lands in the Baltimore Washington corridor. BWPFS was originally formed in 2006 through a Memorandum of Agreement, signed by each organization’s Executive Leadership. Today, this coalition has expanded to include several more partners, including:

• USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
• US Army Fort George G. Meade
• NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
• USFWS Patuxent Research Refuge
• US Secret Service
• US Forest Service
• US Geological Survey
• The University of Maryland
• The Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission
• The City of Bowie
• The City of Greenbelt
• The Town of Cheverly

Of the more than 97,000 acres managed by the partners, much are either forested or wetlands. These unique ecological resources are among the last significant tracts of contiguous forestland in this highly urbanized region and are critical elements of the State’s Green Infrastructure Network.

The Partners support each other’s efforts to conserve and improve wildlife habitat, reduce nutrient and sediment pollution to the Chesapeake Bay, promote coordinated land management and collaborative scientific research and offer environmental education and recreational opportunities to the public.