Saving our forests is vital

Jay Headman

July 10, 2026

Event Date:

Mon, 07/06/2026 - 10:21 am

We have lost over 43,000 acres of forest in Sussex County over the past 30 years due to land-use development, and this trajectory isn’t stopping anytime soon unless Sussex County Council supports changes to some of the current ordinances.

Sussex County’s population growth has been unsustainable, increasing by 82% since 2000 at an average annual rate of over 3%. As of May 19, 64 developments are progressing through the Sussex County permitting process, which if they are all built, will result in the construction of 16,563 new homes occupying 6,700 acres (over 1% of Sussex County’s total land area). Over the past six months, the number of housing units that have entered the permitting pipeline has increased by 18%, with 2,141 homes planned for Sussex County Council District 4 and 6,534 homes for District 5.

The county council needs to support and vote for the Forest Preservation Ordinance (26-05) as approved by the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission.

Forests play a critical role in maintaining a healthy environment. They protect numerous wildlife species, enhance water quality, provide recreational opportunities and sequester carbon dioxide while releasing pure oxygen into the atmosphere. Additionally, they filter pollutants.

The new ordinance includes ANSI A300 Standards and the establishment of new standards to protect 30% of existing forests in growth areas and 50% in rural areas. This ordinance will also include mitigation when excess trees are removed from the forested area.

In addition to the proposed requirements, county council also should include a requirement for a forest preservation and maintenance plan that encompasses forest protection during construction and a long-term forest maintenance plan, and a requirement to conduct a forest stand delineation. Furthermore, mitigation procedures should be modified to ensure that no forest beyond the required retention is removed except by genuine necessity, and require a detailed landscape plan.

We must pass this ordinance, because Sussex County is the only jurisdiction in Delaware and Maryland counties without a unified plan to support forests.

Protecting our forests in Sussex County is of utmost importance!

Jay Headman
Ocean View

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