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Hagerstown moves to align city forest rules with new Maryland law; ordinance introduced
Summary
Planning staff presented comprehensive revisions to Hagerstown's forest conservation ordinance to comply with Maryland's updated Forest Conservation Act (effective July 1, 2026). Council introduced the ordinance and approved it for formal consideration, citing a state-driven shift to net gain and one-to-one reforestation ratios.
Planning staff presented proposed revisions to the Land Management Code (Article 7, Forest Conservation) during a public hearing June 23, 2026, explaining the need to align the city's ordinance with an updated Maryland Forest Conservation Act that takes effect July 1.
Valerie Moberg, of planning and economic development, summarized the major changes staff recommended: adoption of the updated 2024 Forest Conservation Technical Manual, a policy shift from no-net-loss to a net-gain approach, a one-to-one mitigation requirement (one acre replanted for every acre removed) with caveats for priority funding/retention areas, new qualified exemptions for certain project types (transit-oriented development, multi-family housing, large federal facilities, orchards and tree farms), expanded priority areas for retention (urban forests and high-value watersheds), modified minimum stream buffer distances, and new opportunities for public review and challenge of conservation decisions. "One of the biggest changes is the shift from no net forest loss to net gain," Moberg said, and described changes to mitigation ratios and exemptions.
Moberg told the council the Planning Commission recommended transmittal of the revisions on May 27, 2026, and the city is fast-tracking the ordinance to meet the state compliance deadline. Council then introduced an ordinance to amend Articles 3 and 7 of the Land Management Code to comply with the state changes (House Bill 1511 and related 2023/2024 legislation); the motion to introduce passed by voice vote.
The changes will require developers to plan reforestation or mitigation consistent with the new manual and give the public expanded procedural opportunities to challenge conservation plans; staff said additional implementing detail and definitions are included in the full ordinance packet. The council is scheduled to consider the ordinance for adoption in a subsequent legislative step consistent with the timeline for statewide compliance.
