County Plants Hundreds of Trees at Apartments in Dundalk, Essex, Cockeysville

Partnership with Hendersen-Webb Boosts Goal of 5,000 Trees for Earth Day 2021

Kick-starting his goal of adding 5,000 trees for Earth Day 2021, County Executive Johnny Olszewski today announced that the County has planted 325 trees at 28 apartment and townhome communities in Cockeysville, Dundalk and Essex in partnership with property owner Hendersen-Webb, a local multi-family property management business.

“We remain committed to building and innovating toward a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable Baltimore County. Like many jurisdictions, Baltimore County’s tree canopy has diminished over the decades, and tree plantings on private property is an important tool to combat climate change, strengthen environmental resiliency, and help beautify our neighborhoods,” Olszewski said. “We appreciate Hendersen-Webb’s partnership and will continue to explore pioneering cost-effective efforts like this to further strengthen our environment for years to come.”

The trees were planted this past spring and fall by Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability (EPS) contractors under the County’s Tree Canopy Expansion program.

Under this program, EPS plants native shade trees on managed grounds (including land maintained by apartment complexes or homeowner associations), and as street or front yard trees within urban communities to reduce stormwater runoff and nutrients and sediments entering the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, these trees help improve air quality, provide habitat and food to wildlife, and decrease energy costs of nearby buildings. In total, the County has planted 1,596 trees under the Tree Canopy Expansion program.

“As the hometown property management company for more than 75 years, we are committed to our communities and strive to provide attractive sustainable apartment homes for our residents,” said Hendersen-Webb’s COO, Pam Newland. “We were delighted to work with Baltimore County to help increase the tree canopy and improve our local environment.”

5,000 Trees for Earth Day 2021

Olszewski recently announced a target of 5,000 new trees for Earth Day next year, encouraging private landowners and homeowners to take advantage of free County tree planting programs—where County crews will plant a significant expanse of trees for no charge. These programs apply to residential, commercial and institutional properties as the County strives to increase the tree canopy in an effort to meet stormwater mandates and reduce greenhouse gases.

Free County Tree Planting Programs

County homeowners and landowners are invited to apply now for trees to be planted next spring at no cost to them through the County’s Backyard Trees or Turf to Trees programs. Plantings range from a small stand of twenty trees on a tenth of an acre, up to a large multi-acre reforestation.

The Backyard Trees program is available for properties with a minimum planting area of only one-tenth of an acre. This program was created recently to make reforestation more accessible to homeowners with less than an acre of available land. The Turf to Trees program is intended for larger tracts of open land, with 200 trees planted per acre to create rural reforestations, and it includes three years of free maintenance.

Interested landowners can learn more on the County website. These programs are geared for reforestation and do not include the planting of evergreens, or small groupings of trees intended for landscaping or privacy screening. The Forestry Management Division of the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability manages these programs and can be contacted at ForestManagement@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Residents Asked to Report Trees they Plant

Residents who plant trees themselves are invited to record the planting locations on the County’s Environmental Reporter Web Application, an online mapping tool for tracking environmental data, including locations where people plant trees and install rain barrels. Trees recorded on the Environmental Reporter will be counted in the County’s target of 5,000 new trees for Earth Day 2021.

Working toward a Countywide 50 percent Tree Canopy Goal

Baltimore County is working to achieve and maintain a 50 percent tree canopy Countywide and within the three drinking water reservoirs by the year 2025; and 40 percent tree coverage within the more populated areas inside the Urban Rural Demarcation Line, and for each of its Census Designated Places (CDPs).