Public Works

The Good Green Initiative is a Town of Bel Air project in collaboration with Maryland Forest Service to develop and implement a management plan for the invasive plant species in Rockfield Park. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is carried out throughout different zones in Rockfield Park. This strategy ranks certain areas on a 1-4 severity scale with 1 being the least invaded and areas 3 and 4 being the most heavily invaded. Management involves a variety of different resources including volunteer groups, DPW staff, goat grazing, and contractors. Contractors are used for the most heavily invaded areas via chemical control. Extra care is taken with contractors and their control is only used when absolutely necessary, and with precautions to minimize off-target impacts. Goats are utilized in zones with ranks 2-3 as well as areas with steep hills because of their climbing ability. Volunteer groups and DPW groups are deployed to zones that rank 1 because it is significantly less intensive to manage. Stay tuned for 2021's update on the Good Green Initiative!