Maintenance Agreements. Application. A person required to conduct afforestation or reforestation under a local or State program shall include in the forest conservation plan a binding maintenance agreement for the minimum length of 2 years. Approval procedures and timing shall be consistent with the procedures provided in the local program or as provided in COMAR 08.19.04.04. The maintenance agreement shall detail how the areas designated for afforestation or reforestation will be maintained to ensure protection and satisfactory establishment of forest. The person required to conduct the afforestation or reforestation, after this referred to as the “obligee”, shall present evidence of a legal right to implement the proposed maintenance agreement on a selected site by providing: An executed deed conveying title to a selected site to the obligee; An executed conservation easement agreement; Written evidence of the landowner's consent to the use of a selected site; A fully executed option agreement, long-term lease agreement, or contract of sale for a selected site; or Other written evidence of a possessory or ownership interest in a selected site. The Department or the local authority shall be a signatory to the maintenance agreement, or shall be designated a third-party beneficiary of the agreement. The Department or local authority may not release a bond or end monitoring without receipt of a legally binding deed, long-term lease, or conservation easement agreement on those lands where afforestation or reforestation will occur. The maintenance agreement shall provide for access by the Department or local authority to the afforestation or reforestation site. Bonding. Application. A person required to conduct afforestation or reforestation, or to deposit money into a state or local fund under the State or local program shall include a bond or other financial security as an element of a forest conservation plan. This section does not apply to agencies of any federal, state, county or municipal government. Requirements. A financial security shall be furnished in the form of: A bond which shall be made payable to the Department or local authority; An irrevocable letter of credit which shall: Be equivalent to the required bond, Be issued by a financial institution authorized to do business in Maryland, Expressly state that the total sum is guaranteed to be available and payable directly to the Department on demand in the event of forfeiture, and Be in force until all mitigation for reforestation and afforestation and monitoring requirements have been fulfilled to the satisfaction of the Department or local authority or until all contributions have been made to the State or local fund; or Other security approved by the Department or local authority. The financial security shall: Ensure that: The afforestation, reforestation, and associated maintenance agreements are conducted and maintained in accordance with the approved forest conservation plan, or Contributions have been made to the State or local fund; Be in the amount equal to the estimated cost of afforestation and reforestation, or the amount of the contribution due, as determined by the Department or local authority; Be in a form and content approved by the Department or local authority. The value of the financial security: Shall be based on: The cost to perform all work required by the afforestation or reforestation plan if the work had to be performed by or contracted out by the Department or local authority, or When appropriate, the amount due for a fund contribution; May be adjusted according to the actual cost of mitigation for afforestation and reforestation or, if the cost of future mitigation work changes, the Department or local authority shall notify the obligee of a proposed adjustment and provide an opportunity for an informal conference on the adjustment; and May be reduced if the obligee proves to the Department or local authority that the costs to complete the mitigation project have been reduced. A surety bond or other alternative form of security may not be canceled by the surety, bank, or other issuing entity unless both of the following conditions are satisfied: The surety notifies the Department and the obligee of its intent to cancel the bond, in writing, by registered mail, not less than 90 days before cancellation; and At least 45 days before the cancellation date indicated in the notice, the obligee files a commitment from a surety, bank, or other issuing entity to provide a substitute security which will be effective on the cancellation date indicated in the notice. After one growing season, the person required to file a bond or other financial security under this regulation may request reduction of the amount of the bond or other financial security by submitting a written request to the Department with a justification for reducing the bond or other financial security amount, including estimated or actual costs to ensure that the afforestation or reforestation requirements are met. The Department shall determine whether a lesser amount is sufficient to cover the cost of afforestation or reforestation, taking into account the following: The number of acres; The proposed method of afforestation or reforestation; The cost of planting materials or replacement materials; The cost of maintenance of the afforestation or reforestation project; and Other relevant factors. If, after two growing seasons or 1 year, whichever is greater, the plantings associated with the afforestation or reforestation meet or exceed the standards of the local or State program, the remaining amount of the cash bond, letter of credit, surety bond, or other security shall be returned or released. Bond Release. The bond shall be released on receipt of written notice from the Department or local authority, if applicable, stating that all afforestation or reforestation requirements have been met. The written notice shall be sent at the end of the required 2-year monitoring and management period, as provided in the maintenance agreement. If the Department fails to send written notice within 60 days after the end of the monitoring and management period, the bond shall be automatically released. Financial Security Forfeiture. The bond or other financial security may be subject to forfeiture if the obligee fails to comply with: Revocation of the forest conservation plan; An administrative order; or An element of the afforestation or reforestation plan. The Department or local authority shall notify the obligee, by certified mail, of the intention of the Department or local authority to initiate forfeiture proceedings. The obligee has 30 days from receipt of the notice of forfeiture to show cause why the bond or other financial security may not be forfeited. If the obligee fails to show cause, the bond or other financial security shall be forfeited. A local program may substitute for the bonding provisions of §B of this regulation a process that is consistent with the State bonding procedure. An applicant under the State or local program shall have in effect at all times approved long-term protective measures as provided for in Natural Resources Article, §5-1607, Annotated Code of Maryland, to retain as forest all land forested, afforested, or reforested under this subtitle. A local program shall contain provisions for long-term protective measures including, but not limited to, §B of this regulation. Approved Forest Management Plan. Procedure for Approval. The forest management plan: Shall be legally binding from the date of approval; Shall be prepared by a licensed professional forester; Shall be submitted to the Department's forester assigned to the county where the property is located; and May be amended periodically, as provided for in §B(2) of this regulation. The Department's forester shall review the plan to ensure that it is complete and consistent with the State or local program. The Department shall notify the local authority and the applicant if the forest management plan is approved. Procedure for Amendment of an Approved Forest Management Plan. An approved forest management plan may be amended if there is a change in site conditions or landowner objectives. Amendments shall be prepared by a licensed professional forester. The amendment shall be submitted to the Department's forester assigned to the county where the property is located. The forester shall review the amendment to ensure that it is complete and consistent with the State or local program. The Department shall notify the local authority and the applicant if the amendment is approved. The applicant shall sign the amendment. Forest Conservation and Management Agreement. An applicant may satisfy the requirement for long-term protection under Natural Resources Article, §5-1607(e), Annotated Code of Maryland, by executing and maintaining a Forest Conservation and Management Agreement, as provided in Tax-Property Article, §8-211, Annotated Code of Maryland, and COMAR 08.07.03. This agreement shall provide for notification to the approving authority on its termination by the property owner. Other Legally Binding Protective Agreements. Other legally binding protective agreements include: Covenants running with the land; Deed restrictions; Conservation easements; and Land trusts. Other legally binding agreements shall provide: Protection for land forested, afforested, or reforested under Natural Resources Article, §§5-1601—5-1612, Annotated Code of Maryland, and this subtitle; and Limitation on the uses of forest to those that are consistent with forest conservation. Within 30 days of execution, an applicant shall record a legally binding protective agreement under this section in the local land record office in the county where the project is located. An applicant may include in a forest conservation plan another long-term protective measure if the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Department that the measure will provide for the long-term protection of the areas retained, afforested, or reforested under this subtitle. Procedure for a Timber Harvesting Plan. An individual may harvest timber on forested, reforested, or afforested areas protected under an approved forest conservation plan provided that the harvest: Is consistent with the intent of an approved forest management plan, forest conservation management agreement, or other long-term protective agreement; Is subject to a timber harvest plan: Prepared by a licensed professional forester, Submitted to the local forest conservancy district board for review and approval, and That remains in effect for 2 years; and Is consistent with the intent and requirements of the approved forest conservation plan. The local forest conservancy district board shall notify the individual whether the timber harvest plan under §F(1) of this regulation has been approved. Natural Resources Article, §§5-1601—5-1613, Annotated Code of Maryland Effective date: January 20, 1992 (19:1 Md. R. 24) Regulation .01 amended effective July 1, 1996 (23:13 Md. R. 942) Regulation .02 amended effective July 1, 1996 (23:13 Md. R. 942); August 20, 2001 (28:16 Md. R. 1482) Regulation .02F amended effective November 2, 2009 (36:22 Md. R. 1723)