But the report raises concerns about the pattern of those losses, noting that woodlands closest to the Bay are disappearing at a rapid rate, and those that remain are being divided into smaller tracts. So the fragmentation issue is a big one. The Bay Program is expected to acknowledge that role this year by adopting a policy that promotes the restoration of streamside forests in the watershed. In addition, forests improve air quality. One acre of trees can remove 40 tons of carbon dioxide annually, while producing enough oxygen to sustain more than 1,000 people during the year.
Woodlands also provide much of the watershed's habitat for animal, plant and bird life.
Hundreds of millions of additional dollars are spent hunting or observing and photographing wildlife in forests. Forest land retention is one means to protect our environment, maintain our quality of life, and use and enjoy our landscape in a sustainable way. Conserving forests as growth and development take place allows us to benefit from our forests today while still granting the option for future generations to use them tomorrow. When the region was colonized about 400 years ago, about 95 percent of the watershed was forested. After declining to a low of 40 percent early in this century, forests regrew to cover 62 percent of the land by 1970.