Please Back Away from the Chainsaw

WaPo's County Connections blog covers the efforts of Congressman Chris Van Hollen to increase local protection of wooded areas. Van Hollen formed a task force to study preservation efforts in Montgomery County following an incident involving Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, who cleared a large wooded area of his property on the Potomac river without county approval.

The task force recommendations include:

...increasing the area of forest a property owner would have to replant and applying the conservation law to smaller properties and more communities throughout the county.

"Hopefully people will think twice about clearing an extra acre," said Katherine Nelson, a Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission planner who served on the task force.

Montgomery County Councilmember Howard Denis (R-Dist 1), who is running for reelection and incidentally represents the area of the county where Snyder lives, has endorsed the recommendations.

No word on whether fellow Councilmember, and recent treehugger, Michael Subin (D-At Large) or other legislators support the proposals.