At a Glance
Plan review and field inspections help preserve and enhance urban forest in Maryland’s third largest city.
Project Description
Located northwest of Washington, DC, Rockville is Maryland’s third largest city. Despite its location in this densely populated region, the 12-square-mile city holds 1,035 acres of open space and a deep commitment to protecting its natural resources. Among those resources are city trees.
The City Forester’s Office is responsible for maintaining all trees along the street within the public right-of-way, in parks, and around City facilities. Under an on-call contract with the City of Rockville, MD, Biohabitats has been assisting the City Forester’s office in conducting field inspections and plan review associated with the City’s Forest and Tree Preservation Program.
Field work has included construction inspections to verify the use of tree protection methods and devices during construction, pre-planting inspections to verify the quality of the plant material, post-planting inspections to verify that approved planting locations, mulching and staking techniques were used, and warranty and bond release inspections to quantify plant survival and determine replacement requirements. Plan review has included reviewing Forest Stand Delineation and Forest Conservation Plans for completeness and accuracy, then providing comments on revisions required.