The world’s forests remain under siege, and their ecological and economic integrity are both at risk. This siege is relentless, and is coming from both extremes. Wealthy countries such as the United States are loving many of their forests to death with a lack of active stewardship, while poorer nations are physically destroying their forests simply to survive or export their forest products to the rich countries.

In the bigger picture, the decisions being made with regard to protecting the world’s forest resources are not being made by trained forest ecologists, professional foresters or biologists. The future of forest resources is now in the hands of a global, political and social structure that has little understanding of forests and their critical importance to the world’s survival.

This issues dealing with the world’s forests are complex with no simple answers, yet our working forests are speaking to us every day, and we need to start listening.

This is an interactive web-based tool based on the NRCS publication Taking the First Step: Farm and Ranch Alternative Enterprise and Agritourism Resource Evaluation Guide dated January 2004 on the NRCS website here It is a database driven application that allows users to collect and store the information for each farmer's and rancher's assessment of their natural, family, and community resources.

The tool can be accessed here: resourcesfirstfoundation.org/aea/

This site is an on-going project of the Iowa State University and partially funded by USDA Rural Development.
Check it out here:Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC)

The site offers listings of over 300 farms in Iowa grouped by Type of Services, Regions, and Amenities offered.

Additionally there is information on agritourism for producers such as;

• Producer Regulations
• Business and Marketing Planning
• Legal Considerations
• Linked Resources
• Training Resources

Communication may be the difference between an estate plan, which directs the transfer of assets, and a succession plan that helps transfer, from one generation to the next, the vision, the passion and the skills needed to be stewards of the land.

TIES TO THE LAND is a project funded and developed in Oregon, but they designed the curriculum with the intent that it be broadly relevant. Yes, tax laws and other rules and regulations are specific to a place, but family dynamics are universal.

TIES TO THE LAND is a collaborative project of Oregon State University Forestry Extension, the Austin Family Business Program at Oregon State University, the Oregon State University Forestry Media Center, and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute with assistance of members of the Oregon Tree Farm System and Oregon Small Woodlands Association and others.
Meet the development team that created TIES TO THE LAND

Check out samples of the curriculum here

Our Focus Our Project focus is to increase awareness of environmental issues at local and regional levels and how they cumulatively affect us globally. As the saying goes “we all live downstream.” And in the words of TDP founder George Ohrstrom "the hope is that people will educate themselves and stand up and become a voice for downstream issues because they are exceedingly important to all of us." Our strength lies in an independent message. A credible voice not swayed by politics or a parent corporation.

Check out their Current Projects. They are actively researching and assessing new Downstream Project opportunities all the time.
The Streamside Livestock Exclusion Project is their latest effort. Here you will find new media resources on the subject of livestock exclusion initiatives designed to preserve freshwater resources and support livestock agriculture.

ACF members operate in corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships with 1 to 100+ employees. Many are general foresters while others have professional specialties within forestry. Clients include landowners, forest industries, investment & financial industries, attorneys, government agencies, bankers, trusts, Native American corporations, and many others. Many operate within their own localities, while others consult worldwide.

The National Woodland Owners Association

The Fieldprint Calculator is a simple tool designed to help you begin to look at how your crop production operations impact the sustainability of your farm. This calculator is directly correlated to Field to Market's national level outcomes indicators for corn, cotton, soy and wheat. It provides general information based on the practices that are mostly likely to influence your energy use, climate impact, soil loss, and water use. They also consider your land use with respect to your level of productivity associated with the amount of acres in production. Future versions will include modules that factor in impacts to water quality and biodiversity as well.

Why is this a trial version?
These are complex topics, and we would like to get growers' feedback on what information and comparisons will be most helpful to them. Using that feedback we will continue to add information and functionality to the tool. Also, the calculator is incomplete as it does not have metrics to reflect the impact different practices have on water quality or biodiversity. As the Field to Market Alliance defines these metrics at the national level, they will be added to future versions of the calculator. Further, there are areas where scientists are evaluating the relationships between agricultural practices and environmental outcomes. For example, there is a recent debate on how much carbon is stored in conventional tillage systems. At this time, the calculator only assigns credit for no-tillage systems, and refinements will be made as additional studies are published. Check it out »

The Databank assumes its users are knowledgeable and thoughtful conservation easement professionals or volunteers. It is not a teaching text. Instead, it offers source material and ideas, sometimes conflicting and inconsistent ideas, that may be appropriate to adapt into particular conservation easements in certain circumstances. The Databank is also not legal advice; various paragraphs conflict and many would be inappropriate to specific circumstances or under the law of particular States.

The Databank has been updated and expanded.

• Select this file for the October 2009 Updated Word 2002 Version
• Select this file for the October 2009 Updated Acrobat PDF Version

• select this file for the June 2009 Word 2002 version or
• this file for June 2009 PDF version

Conservation Easement Quiz
So you think you already know everything there is to know about conservation easements? Take the Conservation Easement Quiz and test your knowledge!

Basic Steps to Conveying a Conservation Easement
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Tax Aspects of Donating Land or Conservation Easements
Are you looking for a summary of the tax savings that are available to private landowners who donate conservation properties. See some hypothetical examples of how much one couple could save.

Bundle Of Rights Approach To Value
In the appraisal of real estate, it is important to distinguish between real estate and real property. The bundle of rights theory maintains that ownership of a parcel of real estate may embrace a great many rights, such as the right to its occupancy and use. Find out more»

Conservation Easement Questions and Answers
Landscapes protected from development provide, at the very least, scenic pleasure to the myriad of residents and visitors each year in perpetuity. Find out more»

Tools For Reducing High Property Taxes in Maine
Many owners of real estate in coastal Maine are facing dramatic increases in their property taxes, read this article to learn about some easy ways to reduce one’s real estate tax liabilities. Find out more»

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