Upper Eastern Shore Tributary Team Offers Free Trees To Waterfront Landowners

Members of the Upper Eastern Shore Tributary Team are encouraging waterfront landowners to apply for free trees that can be planted along their shoreline. Tributary Team Members, the Department of Natural Resources Forest Service and students from Kent County High School planted the seedlings in pots this past spring. The trees will be "growing out" at the high school until the fall, when they will be available to the waterfront landowners for free.

"This program is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the purpose and activities of the Upper Eastern Shore Tributary Team," said Team Chair Jerry Land. "We also hope that planting trees will encourage more citizens to be aware of their actions both on the water and on land."

The Upper Eastern Shore Team is one of 10 teams statewide with volunteer members appointed by Governor Parris N. Glendening. Since 1995, the Teams have undertaken efforts intended to reduce nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay by addressing the problem at its origin - in the small tributaries that empty into the Bay.

According to the Chesapeake Bay Program: Experts agree that healthy forests are directly linked to the health of our rivers and, ultimately our Bay. Forests are important because they play a key role in nearly every part of our Bay ecosystem. They protect our streams and soil; filter out air; and cleanse our water by removing nutrients before they enter the waterway. Additionally, more than half of the Bay's species use riparian forests during their life cycles.

Species available to landowners include Red Osier Dogwood, White Oak, Red Oak, Bald Cypress, Sycamore, Green Ash and Loblolly Pine.

For additional information about obtaining the trees, call Upper Eastern Shore Tributary Team Member Brennan Starkey at 410-648-5105 or email at bks@dmv.com.

Posted: 8-23-2000