Delaware timber harvests achieved a 93-percent rate of compliance with best management practices designed to protect water quality and limit soil erosion, according to a new report. Recommended practices included: pre-harvest planning to properly locate access roads, avoiding stream crossings and wetlands, curtailing harvests during wet periods, and maintaining sufficient forest buffers near water. Dr. Anne Hairston-Strang, a forest hydrologist with the Maryland DNR Forest Service, sought to assess the use and effectiveness of BMP’s by surveying a total of 72 sites in Maryland and Delaware from 2014 to 2016.