Delaware Forest Service Joins Regional Partners in Renewing Chesapeake Bay Shared Stewardship Agreement

DOVER - Delaware State Forester Kyle Hoyd joined forestry leaders from across the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the U.S. Forest Service last week to renew the Chesapeake Bay Shared Stewardship Agreement, reaffirming a regional commitment to conserve, restore, and actively manage forests throughout the watershed.

The renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) builds upon the initial Chesapeake Bay Shared Stewardship Agreement signed in 2020. It brings together the U.S. Forest Service and state forestry agencies from Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, along with Washington D.C., to advance shared stewardship and coordinate forest management and restoration efforts across jurisdictional boundaries.

"The saying, 'work for the land and it will work for you,' fits this agreement perfectly," Hoyd said. "From wood products we use daily to clean water, it is our job as forestry leaders to ensure working forests remain a viable option to support our forest ecosystems."

Forests are the backbone of the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort, and active forest management is essential to keeping those forests healthy and resilient. For decades, federal, state, and local partners have coordinated restoration efforts through the Chesapeake Bay Program. The renewed Shared Stewardship Agreement strengthens that collaboration and provides a framework for forestry partners to work across boundaries to manage, conserve, and restore forests throughout the watershed.

The agreement also supports the forestry goals established in the revised 2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which elevated conservation and established Healthy Forests and Trees as a key component of the region's long-term restoration strategy.

At the heart of Delaware's implementation of the agreement is a commitment to science-based silvicultural practices that support healthy, resilient, and productive forests. These practices will guide forest management at a regional level on both public and private lands, regardless of individual funding sources. By working from a shared foundation of sound forestry science, participating states and partners can better address forest health, regeneration, water quality, wildlife habitat and the long-term sustainability of working forests across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed encompasses approximately 64,000 square miles and is home to more than 18 million people. Forests extend from the Appalachian Mountains to the coastal plains and are essential to protecting water quality, providing wildlife habitat, supporting recreation and sustaining the region's forest economy.

Most of the watershed's forests - approximately 80 percent - are privately owned, making private forest landowners essential partners in maintaining forest health and keeping forests on the landscape. Between 2013 and 2022, approximately 176,845 acres of forest were lost to development across the watershed, underscoring the importance of conserving working forests and maintaining forestland as forestland.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed is also home to more than 83,000 farms, demonstrating the close relationship among forests, agriculture, rural economies, and water quality. State forestry agencies support this landscape through technical assistance, forest management and conservation programs while leveraging state and federal resources for coordinated cross-boundary restoration.

The forestry sector also provides significant economic value throughout the watershed, with an estimated $26 billion in direct economic output annually, in addition to approximately $15.3 billion in annual ecosystem-service benefits. Healthy working forests provide renewable forest products while delivering clean water, wildlife habitat, recreation, and other benefits to communities throughout the region.

Approximately 30 percent of Delaware lies within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, extending across portions of all three counties. Although Delaware does not directly border the bay, waterways originating in the state ultimately drain into the Chesapeake, making Delaware an important partner in broader watershed conservation efforts.

"The Delaware Forest Service is proud to be part of a regional agreement that focuses on using forestry-based practices to enhance the Chesapeake Bay," Hoyd said. "These practices will help ensure the lands and waterways throughout the Bay region remain healthy and resilient for years to come."

For the Delaware Forest Service, the renewed agreement strengthens opportunities to work collaboratively with neighboring states and federal partners while supporting Delaware landowners and maintaining healthy, productive forests.

Through the renewed agreement, participating forestry agencies will continue coordinating expertise, resources, and management strategies to address forest health challenges and advance conservation across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.