States and Forest Service renew Chesapeake Bay forest stewardship pact

USDA’s Forest Service renewed the Chesapeake Bay Shared Stewardship Agreement with Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

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Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia signed the renewal of the Chesapeake Bay Shared Stewardship Agreement, reaffirming the commitment to coordinated forest conservation, restoration, and active management across the 64,000‑square‑mile Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Established in 2020, the Chesapeake Bay Shared Stewardship Agreement was the nation’s first watershed‑scale shared stewardship framework. This renewed five-year agreement strengthens collaboration among federal, state, and local partners and aligns with the Healthy Forests and Trees goal in the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. It builds on nearly four decades of joint restoration work under the EPA-led Chesapeake Bay Program partnership, which the Forest Service has supported since 1988.

“Renewing this shared stewardship agreement reflects our collective commitment to healthy forests, thriving communities, and clean water across the Chesapeake Bay,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz . “The agreement outlines a comprehensive strategy to conserve, restore, and actively manage forests across the watershed. Partners will work toward goals set in the Watershed Agreement for 2040 including planting and maintaining 202,000 acres of forests, reducing forest conversion by 33 percent, expanding community tree cover, and restoring riparian buffers.”

The agreement accelerates active management across federal, state, and private lands by connecting forestry networks, supporting small-acreage landowners, complementing Good Neighbor Authority work on National Forest System lands, and expanding financial and technical assistance for private landowners.

Original release: https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/newsroom/releases/states-and-us-forest-service-renew-landmark-agreement-restore-and

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