Belt Woods

Belt Woods
Belt Woods
Area	43 acres (17 ha)
Geography
Country	United States
State	Maryland
District	Prince George's County
Coordinates	38°54′18″N 76°45′47″W / 38.90505°N 76.76304°W / 38.90505; -76.76304

Belt Woods is a nature reserve in Prince George's County, Maryland, U.S., containing the "South Woods", a 43-acre (170,000 m²) woodland which constitutes one of the last stands of old growth hardwood forest on the Atlantic coastal plain. It is a mere 8 miles (13 km) east of Washington, D.C. Many of its white oaks and tulip poplars are more than three feet in diameter and soar more than 100 feet (30 m) before branching. The "South Woods" were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974.

Belt Woods has been owned and protected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources since the 1980s.^{[when?][citation needed]} Some 110 acres (0.45 km²) at the site are designated a Natural Environment Area (NEA) and another 515 acres (2.08 km²) are designated a Heritage Conservation Fund (HCF) site. Thus 625 acres (2.53 km²) are protected in total. Within this area, the Maryland General Assembly has designated 610 acres (2.5 km²) — 109 acres (0.44 km²) within the NEA and 501 acres (2.03 km²) within the HCF — as a special Maryland Wildland.^[1]