Plantings Part of Governor O’Malley’s One Million Tree Initiative

(April 15, 2010)  - When Henry David Thoreau spoke about tramping through miles of the deepest snow to keep an appointment with beech and birch trees or any pine tree, he was likely seeing an omen of February’s record setting snowfalls.  The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) is keeping its appointment to plant more than 6,300 trees along State highways in Howard County.
 

After the last of the snow finally melted away, SHA crews prepared planting sites along I-95, I-70, MD 100, MD 216 (Scaggsville Road) and MD 32 for upcoming tree plantings.  Preparation work included eradication of invasive species, including Canada thistle, Multi-Flora Rose, Callery Pears and Tree of Heaven.

Now that the invasive plants have been cleared, SHA’s contractor, Denison Landscaping of Fort Washington, is busy planting the trees along medians, grassy areas and interchanges along the highways.  The nearly $200,000 project will be complete by the end of the year, weather permitting.  A one-year plant establishment warranty is included in the contract to guarantee that the newly planted trees are watered and nourished through the important first year of growth.  SHA crews will maintain the trees after the warranty expires.

The simple act of planting trees has a significant benefit to the environment in several profound ways:

• Enhancing water quality for Coastal Bay and Chesapeake Bay Watershed  regions;
• Providing habitats for wildlife;
• Creating a more sustainable landscape;
• Stabilizing top soil, which reduces runoff;
• Reducing mowing therefore reducing greenhouse gas emissions and maintenance costs; and
• Sequestering carbon dioxide.

The plantings are over and above required mitigation and part of the One Million Trees effort which has a goal of planting one million trees by 2011.  By July, SHA will have contributed to the planting of more than 404,700 trees toward the initiative.  The tree plantings in Howard County are funded through the Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP), which funds non-traditional, community-based transportation-related projects. The Governor determines which projects qualify for funding based on need and potential benefit to the public. SHA oversees the federal program, which has awarded more than $185 million for 232 projects in Maryland since the TEP program began in 1991. 
     

This project is part of Maryland’s Smart, Green & Growing initiative introduced by Governor Martin O’Malley in October 2008.  It was created to strengthen the state’s leadership role in fostering smarter, more sustainable growth and inspiring action among all Marylanders to achieve a more sustainable future. The initiative brings together state agencies, local governments, businesses and citizens to create more livable communities, improve transportation options, reduce the state’s carbon footprint, support resource based industry, invest in green technologies, preserve valuable resource lands and restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

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I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.
-  Henry David Thoreau, 1817 – 1862