Publications

This publication is a collection of case-studies that highlight accomplishments of local governments and citizen organizations to recognize the importance of forests to their communities and to take action to retain and restore those forests. It illustrates, in two separate sections, innovative riparian buffer and forest conservation programs initiated and implemented locally by the stewards of the Bay - its private citizens.

Download publication‍

Interim Report of the Riparian Forest Buffer Directive to the Chesapeake Executive Council

Download publication‍

Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, USA, have agreed to reduce nutrient loadings to Chesapeake Bay by 40% by the year 2000. This requires control of nonpoint sources of nutrients, much of which comes from agriculture. Riparian forest buffer systems provide effective control of nonpoint source pollution in some types of agricultural watersheds. The expected levels of pollutant control by riparian forest buffer systems are identified for each of nine physiographic provinces of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Issues related to establishment, sustainability and management are also discussed.

Riparian forest buffers are essential components of maintaining long-term stream and watershed health and resilience in the Chesapeake Bay region. Riparian forest buffers also provide valuable ecological functions for wildlife habitat and biodiversity. This guide has been prepared as a resource to the many who wish to establish a forest buffer efficiently, effectively, and with a minimum of maintenance.

Download publication‍

On October 5-6, 1994, the Nutrient Subcommittee and Forestry Workgroup of the Chesapeake Bay Program hosted a conference on the subject of riparian forest buffers. Participants came together to discuss, debare and learn about the value of our riparian forest resources and their potential use as protective buffers for water quality, fish and wildlife, and other diverse objectives.

The Chesapeake Bay 2005 Health and Restoration Assessment is presented in two parts. Part Two: Restoration Efforts is divided into five sections. In Reducing Pollution, efforts are compared to goals defined by the Bay states' river-specific cleanup plans. Monitoring data, tracking information, and computer simulations are used in this section. In the remaining parts, restoration efforts are compared to goals adopted by the Bay Program. Monitoring and tracking data are used in these sections.

On April 3, 2008, the Chesapeake Bay Program released its Chesapeake Bay 2007 Health and Restoration Assessment. The report gives watershed residents a clear and concise synopsis of Bay health and on-the-ground restoration efforts taking place across its vast watershed.

Download publication‍

The purpose of this report is to analyze the feasibility of using poultry litter for energy in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Using excess manure to feed energy generation systems in this region could potentially result in a reduced nutrient load to the Bay, thus improving water quality. In order to better assess the feasibility of this option, this report explores technologies that could potentially be used to convert poultry litter into energy and identifies impediments and incentives that a litter-to-energy project may encounter.

Download publication‍

A Socioeconomic Atlas for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed presents information about population, economy and commerce, social and cultural characteristics, recreation and tourism, administration and government, and land use for counties within the Bay watershed. Over 30 color maps are included, along with data tables, descriptive information, and a list of data sources.

This report sets the foundation for developing sedimentsheds to help determine the source of sediment that is contributing to water clarity violations in a SAV grow zone to assist with the 2010 sediment reallocation process. The report details the history of the 2003 Sediment Cap Load Allocations, describes sediment sources and sinks, and presents an exploratory analysis of Chesapeake Bay wide water quality monitoring data with the purpose of prioritizing areas with poor water clarity and high inorganic solids (sediment) in the water column.

Download publication‍