Forests are also very important to protect and enhance water quality.
Planning is key to making this happen and involving a professional forester in any timber harvest is recommended. The Standard Plan lists the general sediment control requirements for each harvest and may be obtained at any Soil Conservation District office. The State of Maryland offers each county the ability to enforce the minimum requirements of these laws and regulations within its own county system. The Standard Plan requires that uncut buffer zones, called SMZ's, be maintained on all sides of perennial or intermittent streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, bogs or marshes. The width of the buffer is dependent upon the slope of the land adjacent to the watercourse.