Private Landowner Network Library

PLN Library

Use the Private Landowner Network Library as your resource for land conservation education and reference.

There are a growing number of educational articles written by experienced land conservation and management professionals to elevate your knowledge of private lands conservation today.

More than just conservation.

Topics on Tax and Estate Planning specific to your real estate assets and land management objectives are addressed in the Library. Learn more about how to pass on your property to younger generations. Learn the ins and outs of how to spare your property from sprawl development and keep it in the family.

Browse our Introductory Articles

Using Conservation Easements to Protect Working Forests

By: Brenda Lind
For decades, conservation easements have protected open space values such as wildlife habitat, ecological diversity, recreational access and aesthetics.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Using-Conservation-Easements-to-Protect-Working-Forests/164/

Land Preservation: An Essential Ingredient in Smart Growth

By: Mark Lapping and Thomas L. Daniels
The preservation of land for working rural landscapes, wildlife habitat, urban parks, recreational trails, and protecting water supplies and floodplains is emerging as an integral component of smart growth programs.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Land-Preservation-An-Essential-Ingredient-in-Smart-Growth/148/

Conservation Easements: Donor Beware

By: Jennifer D. Mullen
Conservation easements have garnered significant attention and gained popularity over the last few years due in part to the availability of federal tax deductions and Virginia state tax credits associated with conservation easements.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-Donor-Beware/160/

Conservation Easements and the 2010 Roth Conversion: A symbiotic relationship

By: Adam Miller
It may come as a shock, but there is a sort of symbiotic relationship at work between property owners with conservation easements and the IRS.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-and-the-2010-Roth-Conversion-A-symbiotic-relationship-/111/

Easements prove valuable in efforts to protect land

By: Lynne Langley
Practically no one had heard of conservation easements 15 years ago when Charleston native Herbert J. Butler began trying to protect his hundreds of acres of former rice fields.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Easements-prove-valuable-in-efforts-to-protect-land/163/

Conservation Easements

By: Christopher B. Johnson
One tool for estate planners is the conservation easement, by which a landowner voluntarily restricts his or her land from being developed, restricts the amount of development or protects existing features, like a building facade with historic value.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-/223/

Farm and Forest Land Preservation With Conservation Easements

By: Christopher D. Clark, Larry Tankersley, George F. Smith, and Daniel Starnes
This publication is intended to provide basic information on conservation easements for landowners, community leaders, students and other interested individuals.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Farm-and-Forest-Land-Preservation-With-Conservation-Easements/1737/

Conservation Easements and Economic Incentives

By: Breana Behrens
The Mississippi Delta: Land Worth Conserving. The following is the speech given by the Resources First Foundation's Conservation Tax Center Director, Breana Behrens, given on Saturday, October 26 as a part of the inagural Tara Talks, at the Tara Wildlife in Mississippi.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-and-Economic-Incentives/1600/

Protecting The Public Interest And Investment In Conservation : A Response To Professor Korngold’s Critique Of Conservation Easements

By: Nancy McLaughlin
The use of conservation easements as a land-protection tool has grown considerably over the past several decades, and with that growth has come criticism from a variety of sources.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Protecting-The-Public-Interest-And-Investment-In-Conservation--A-Response-To-Professor-Korngolds-Critique-Of-Conservation-Easements/200/

Farmland Conservation 2.0

By: National Young Farmers Coalition
How land trusts can protect America's working farms.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Farmland-Conservation-20/2577/

Conservation Easements - A Troubled Adolescence

By: Nancy McLaughlin
The conservation easement is arguably the single most popular private land protection tool in this country today, and its use has increased dramatically (indeed, almost exponentially) over the past two and a half decades.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements--A-Troubled-Adolescence/174/

Conservation Force: Conservation easements overview

By: Conservation Force
Conservation Force is a Louisiana based land trust that focuses on preserving private land and game for hunting and fishing.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Force-Conservation-easements-overview/1627/

Legal Defense And Enforcement Of Conservation Easements

By: Jessica Jay
As the dawn of the next century approaches, the private land conservation movement in this country must prepare to face a daunting opponent—landowners and their challenges to the restrictions placed on their land.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Legal-Defense-And-Enforcement-Of-Conservation-Easements/202/

Saving Open Space in Suburbia: The Application of the Governmental Policy Test

By: Stefan Nagel
This article explores the application of conservation easements in a suburban context of the "clearly delineated governmental policy' test under Section 170(h)(4)(A)(iii)(II) of the code in meeting the "conservation purposes" test of code Section 170(h)(1)(C).
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Saving-Open-Space-in-Suburbia-The-Application-of-the-Governmental-Policy-Test/274/

Hypothetical: How a Conservation Easement Works

A simple example illustrates how a conservation easement works in practice. Let’s assume pressure from buyers building vacation homes has pushed the value of land up in recent years to the point where the family is concerned about how the next generation will pay the estate tax bill without selling the land.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Hypothetical-How-a-Conservation-Easement-Works/86/

Conservation Easements: Perpetuity and Beyond

By: Nancy McLaughlin
Perpetual conservation easements are intended to protect the particular land they encumber for the conservation purposes specified in the deed of conveyance “in perpetuity”—or at least until circumstances have changed so profoundly that continued protection of the land for those purposes is no longer feasible.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-Perpetuity-and-Beyond/176/

Finding Farmland

By: National Young Farmers Coalition
A farmer's guide to working with land trusts.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Finding-Farmland/2578/

Conservation of Private Lands: Opportunities and Challenges for the States

By: Patricia E. Salkin
Private land conservation initiatives are a critical component of any state-level quality of life agenda. Although concerns over sprawl, including the loss of prime agricultural lands and significant green space, continue to be one of the underlying rallying cries in support of state-level smart growth initiatives, the fact remains that with few exceptions, conservation of privately-owned working lands has not received significant attention in smart growth literature or conferences.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-of-Private-Lands-Opportunities-and-Challenges-for-the-States/266/

Conservation Servitudes: a path to protection

By: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
The Lousiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, through their Natural Areas Program, purchases conservation easements on private land to preserve Lousiana's natural heritage.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Servitudes-a-path-to-protection/1628/

Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities

By: Nadejda Mishkovsky, Matthew Dalbey, Stephanie Bertaina, Anna Read, and Tad McGalliard
Many rural communities are facing challenges, including rapid growth at metropolitan edges, declining rural populations, and loss of working lands.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Putting-Smart-Growth-to-Work-in-Rural-Communities/472/

13 Components of a Successful Transferable Development Right Program

By: Rocky Mackintosh
For those of you who don’t know, TDR stands for Transferable Development Rights. Simply put, these are typically programs that are designed by local government to allow for the free market transfer of subdivision or development rights from a rural (agricultural and/or conservation) zone to a designated development zone within a jurisdiction.& ...
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/13-Components-of-a-Successful-Transferable-Development-Right-Program/224/

The Importance of Land Trusts to Forestry

By: T.J. McEvoy
Almost everyone in forestry has heard of land trusts since they have become a common fixture especially in areas that are rapidly urbanizing.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/The-Importance-of-Land-Trusts-to-Forestry/133/

An Overview of Financial Alternatives for Land Conservation Transactions

By: Wade Martin and Sally Ramirez
Clearly, the motivation for a land conservation transaction is often the desire of the landowner to safeguard the property. However, this objective must be balanced with the need to maximize the return to the landowner.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/An-Overview-of-Financial-Alternatives-for-Land-Conservation-Transactions/140/

State of the Land 2006, A brief inventory of public and private land in the United States

By: Amos Eno and Laura Mass Dover and Willard Dyche
“In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Quoted from an essay by Thoreau lamenting the way in which modern urban life has made natural resources into commodities and isolated people from the natural processes on which their lives depended.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/State-of-the-Land-2006-A-brief-inventory-of-public-and-private-land-in-the-United-States/141/

NextGen Conservation: Peninsula Open Space Trust engages Millennials in its mission.

By: Kirsten Ferguson
The 80 million-plus Millennials in the United States represent the next generation of potential land trust supporters and advocates.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/NextGen-Conservation-Peninsula-Open-Space-Trust-engages-Millennials-in-its-mission/2540/

In Defense of Conservation Easements: A Response to the End of Perpetuity

By: Nancy McLaughlin and W. William Weeks
Charitable gifts made to government entities and charitable organizations can be either restricted or unrestricted. An unrestricted charitable gift is a contribution of money or property that the donor makes without attaching any conditions on its use by the recipient entity or organization.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/In-Defense-of-Conservation-Easements-A-Response-to-the-End-of-Perpetuity/216/

Conservation Easements: Why and How?

By: Nancy McLaughlin
According to the census data collected by the Land Trust Alliance (LTA), over the past two decades there has been a dramatic increase in the number of local, state, and regional land trusts operating in the United States,1 and in the number of acres encumbered by conservation easements2 held by such land trusts.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-Why-and-How/177/

Could Coalbed Methane Be the Death of Conservation Easements?

By: Nancy McLaughlin
This article explains that a charitable gift of a perpetual conservation easement should be treated like any other gift of property made for a specific charitable purpose—i.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Could-Coalbed-Methane-Be-the-Death-of-Conservation-Easements-/182/

Conservation Easements, Supply Agreements, & Green Certification

By: Bret Vicary, Ph.D., MAI, CGA, LPF
Timberland transactions increasingly involve conservation easements, wood supply agreements, and green certification considerations. On the one hand, these features can reduce the price and total flexibility associated with timberland ownership.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-Supply-Agreements-and-Green-Certification/128/

A Constructive Reformist's Perspective on Voluntary Conservation Easements

By: Nancy McLaughlin
A Constructive Reformist's Perspective on Voluntary Conservation Easements by Nancy A. McLaughlin In an article written especially for the Ecosystem Marketplace, Nancy A.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/A-Constructive-Reformists-Perspective-on-Voluntary-Conservation-Easements/162/

Amending Conservation Easements

By: Karin Marchetti Ponte
How to can a land trust official identify and comply with legal restraints to amendment? How can necessary flexibility be built into the easement document? This paper reflects the earnest desire of an ardent conservationist to take full advantage of opportunities for flexibility that can be found within the law, recognizing that the needs of land ownership and the land itself, are by their nature subject to continual change.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Amending-Conservation-Easements/166/

Amending Perpetual Conservation Easements: A Case Study Of The Myrtle Grove Controversy

By: Nancy McLaughlin
Over the past quarter century there has been an explosive growth in the use of conservation easements as a land protection tool. A conservation easement is a deed transferred by the owner of the land encumbered by the easement to the holder of the easement (generally a government agency or a charitable conservation organization referred to as a “land trust”) that restricts the development and use of the land to achieve certain conservation goals, such as the preservation of open space, wildlife habitat, agricultural land, or an historic site.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Amending-Perpetual-Conservation-Easements-A-Case-Study-Of-The-Myrtle-Grove-Controversy/214/

Increasing the Tax Incentives for Conservation Easement Donations - A Responsible Approach

By: Nancy McLaughlin
The use of tax incentives to encourage private landowners to donate conservation easements has become increasingly popular as policy makers search for ways to combat the growing problem of urban sprawl.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Increasing-the-Tax-Incentives-for-Conservation-Easement-Donations--A-Responsible-Approach/194/

Drafting Conservation Easements

By: Jessica E. Jay
Drafting the conservation easement influences everything about the protected property after the easement’s grant: it guides the landowner’s use of the protected property, it guides Land Trust’s monitoring and stewardship of the property, and it guides Land Trusts enforcement of the conservation easement against the original landowner and all future landowners, forever.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Drafting-Conservation--Easements/1736/

Developing Consensus on Conservation Easements on Managed Forestlands

By: Laurie A. Wayburn
Over the past few years, there have been panel discussions at the National Land Trust Rally putting forward ideas on guiding principles for conservation easements on working forestlands.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Developing-Consensus-on-Conservation-Easements-on-Managed-Forestlands/175/

Conservation Easements on Land Need to be Thought Through

By: Curtis Seltzer
About 10.6 million privately owned acres -- an area about twice the size of Connecticut -- now carry conservation easements. This land base is growing by more than one million acres annually.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements-on-Land-Need-to-be-Thought-Through/129/

Purchase of Development Rights: Another Option for Conservation Minded Landowners

By: R. Lee Stephens, Jr and Robert J. Allen
Many landowners are familiar with conservation easements, a vehicle for preserving land in perpetuity, but they may not be aware of another option: selling the development rights to their property.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Purchase-of-Development-Rights-Another-Option-for-Conservation-Minded-Landowners/94/

Land Preservation: An Essential Ingredient in Smart Growth

By: Tom Daniels and Mark Lapping
ABSTRACT The preservation of land for working rural landscapes, wildlife habitat, urban parks, recreational trails, and protecting water supplies and floodplains is emerging as an integral component of smart growth programs.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Land-Preservation--An-Essential-Ingredient-in-Smart-Growth/1732/

Can My Heirs Save Money on Estate Taxes? Conservation Easements Have Benefits Years After Your Donation

By: Tax Credit Connection, Inc.
By donating a conservation easement, you are eligible not only for an immediate financial reward from state tax credits and federal deductions, but you can also save money on estate taxes for generations to come.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Can-My-Heirs-Save-Money-on-Estate-Taxes-Conservation-Easements-Have-Benefits-Years-After-Your-Donation/2253/

Reconciling Mineral Rights and Conservation Easements

By: Blair Fitzsimons
Answers on subsurface mining below conservation easements.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Reconciling-Mineral-Rights-and-Conservation-Easements/256/

Conservation Easements – The Latest Tool in the Protection of Lands and Landscapes in the Mississippi Delta

By: Laurel A. Florio, J.D.
Conservation easements have been utilized as a primary tool for land protection in the United States for approximately thirty years. The movement started in the Northeastern part of the country and has slowly, but steadily, made its way to the Southeast; the Mississippi Alluvial Valley to be specific.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Easements--The-Latest-Tool-in-the-Protection-of-Lands-and-Landscapes-in-the-Mississippi-Delta/115/

State Tax Credit Summary

By: Debra Pentz
The Conservation Resource Center has assembled a report to assess the effectiveness of state income tax credits for the donation of conservation easements.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/State-Tax-Credit-Summary/210/

Coastal Forest Conservation Initiative Guidelines

By: Gulf Engineers and Consultants
Coastal forests in Louisiana have long been recognized as valuable for the goods and services that they provide. However, since coastal forests have become increasingly vulnerable to pressures from natural and anthropogenic forces, these critical habitats are in danger of being lost.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Coastal-Forest-Conservation-Initiative-Guidelines/1629/

Uniform Conservation Easement Act (with 2007 Amendments)

By: National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
The Act enables durable restrictions and affirmative obligations to be attached to real property to protect natural and historic resources.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Uniform-Conservation-Easement-Act-with-2007-Amendments/2899/

Meeting Regulatory Needs with Voluntary Conservation

By: Christopher Hartley United States Department of Agriculture - Office of Environmental Markets
Take a look at a PowerPoint presentation on market-based approaches as a voluntary means to reduce the cost of compliance with environmental regulations.& ...
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Meeting-Regulatory-Needs-with-Voluntary-Conservation/2833/

ACEP Fact Sheet

By: USDA - NRCS

https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/ACEP-Fact-Sheet/2157/

Designing a Conservation Easement Amendment Policy

By: Karin Marchetti Ponte
How to can a land trust official identify and comply with legal restraints to amendment? How can necessary flexibility be built into the easement document? This paper reflects the earnest desire of an ardent conservationist to take full advantage of opportunities for flexibility that can be found within the law, recognizing that the needs of land ownership and the land itself, are by their nature subject to continual change.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Designing-a-Conservation-Easement-Amendment-Policy/169/

Outcomes in Conservation: Sage Grouse Initiative

By: Natural Resources Conservation Service/USDA
In 2010, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) designated the greater sage-grouse a Candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Outcomes-in-Conservation-Sage-Grouse-Initiative/2571/

Conservation Banking: Incentives for Stewardship

By: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Conservation banks are permanently protected lands that contain natural resource values. These lands are conserved and permanently managed for species that are endangered, threatened, candidates for listing, or are otherwise species-at-risk.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Banking-Incentives-for-Stewardship/2231/

2014 Brings Changes to Tax Credit Transactions - Good News for All

By: Tax Credit Connection, Inc.
Everyone will be able to breathe a little easier this year, thanks to a bill designed to provide more certainty for those involved with a conservation easement tax credit.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/2014-Brings-Changes-to-Tax-Credit-Transactions--Good-News-for-All/2252/

The State of the Birds 2013 Report on Private Lands United States of America

By: North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee
Fourth State of the Birds report: the first review of bird distribution and conservation opportunities on private lands.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/The-State-of-the-Birds-2013-Report-on-Private-Lands-United-States-of-America/1274/

Financial Assistance for Wildlife Habitat

Summarizes opportunities in Arkansas for tax incentives, loans, grants, land retirement and easements, and cost-share programs for conservation management - from state, federal, and nonprofit sources.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Financial-Assistance-for-Wildlife-Habitat/359/

Tools For Reducing High Property Taxes in Maine.

By: Andrew A. Cadot
Many owners of real estate in coastal Maine are facing dramatic increases in their property taxes as a result of municipal revaluations, especially those with shorefront or a water view.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Tools-For-Reducing-High-Property-Taxes-in-Maine/120/

The Challenge of Maintaining Working Forests in 21st Century America

By: Amos Eno
Recently I made a presentation to the Society of American Foresters (SAF) at their annual conference. My overall theme was that working forests, not wilderness areas and parks, are the prospective foundations of our prosperity in the 21st century.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/The-Challenge-of-Maintaining-Working-Forests-in-21st-Century-America/427/

Excerpts from California's Wildlife Action Plan applicable to Private Landowners

By: Resources First Foundation - RFF
We have done the work combing through the California Plan and excerpting all of the sections that are relevant to the needs and interested of private landowners.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Excerpts-from-Californias-Wildlife-Action-Plan-applicable-to-Private-Landowners/127/

Wildlands and Woodland: A vision for the New England landscape

By: David R. Foster, Brian M. Donahue, David B. Kittredge, Kathleen F. Lambert, Malcolm L. Hunter, Brian R. Hall, Lloyd C. Irland, Robert J. Lilieholm, David A. Orwig, Anthony W. D’Amato, Elizabeth A. Colburn, Jonathan R. Thompson, James N. Levitt, Aaron M. Ellison, William S. Keeton, John D. Aber, Charles V. Cogbill, Charles T. Driscoll, Timothy J. Fahey, Clarisse M. Hart
New England’s distinctive landscape is a testament to the resiliency of the land and the conservation ethic of its people. The remarkable return of the region’s forests following an early history of forest clearing and intensive logging offers an unprecedented opportunity to secure a more sustainable future.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Wildlands-and-Woodland-A-vision-for-the-New-England-landscape/874/

Innovations in Market-Based Watershed Conservation in the United States: Payments for Watershed Services for Agricultural and Forest Landowners

By: Terhi Majanen, Rachel Friedman, and Jeffrey C. Milder
New innovations in payments for watershed services (PWS) have emerged in the past decade and are pointing the way toward watershed protection approaches that might effectively complement existing government conservation programs and incentives for rural landowners.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Innovations-in-MarketBased-Watershed-Conservation-in-the-United-States-Payments-for-Watershed-Services-for-Agricultural-and-Forest-Landowners/2838/

Conservation Programs for Private Lands: Programs and Resources Available in Utah for Implementation of Utah's Wildlife Action Plan

By: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources WAP and UT State University's CBCP
This document is intended to be a resource for private landowners, species or habitat managers, and program managers. Learn about programs; find opportunities for yourself or others to work toward conservation goals on private lands.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-Programs-for-Private-Lands-Programs-and-Resources-Available-in-Utah-for-Implementation-of-Utahs-Wildlife-Action-Plan/2279/

Protecting Nature, Harvesting Timber

By: Joe Rankin
How different conservation groups got into managing forestland, and the lessons they've learned.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Protecting-Nature-Harvesting-Timber/875/

Ranching as a Conservation Strategy: Can Old Ranchers Save the New West?

By: Mark W. Brunson and Lynn Huntsinger
Working ranches are often promoted as means of private rangeland conservation because they can safeguard ecosystem services, protect open space, and maintain traditional ranching culture.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Ranching-as-a-Conservation-Strategy-Can-Old-Ranchers-Save-the-New-West/265/

Congressional Testimony by Jim Stone, Rancher and Chairman of Rolling Stone Ranch and the Blackfoot Challenge

This testimony was given July 15, 2010 before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands at ...
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Congressional-Testimony-by-Jim-Stone-Rancher-and-Chairman-of-Rolling-Stone-Ranch-and-the-Blackfoot-Challenge/319/

Private Lands for Endangered Species Recovery

By: Amos Eno
This is a copy of the presentation I gave at Tara Talks I - The Mississippi Delta: Land Worth Conserving.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Private-Lands-for-Endangered-Species-Recovery/1607/

A Nationwide Survey of Land Trusts That Protect Farm and Ranch Land

By: American Farmland Trust; USDA NRCS
Private land trusts play an increasingly important role in farm and ranch land protection. However, it can be difficult for landowners to identify land trusts interested in protecting agricultural land for agriculture, especially in states not served by public farmland protection programs.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/A-Nationwide-Survey-of-Land-Trusts-That-Protect-Farm-and-Ranch-Land/916/

Transferring Wealth through Land Conservation

By: Thomas L. Daniels
The United States is about to experience its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth: more than $10 trillion are expected to change hands in the next 10 to 20 years.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Transferring-Wealth-through-Land-Conservation/126/

Forever Donation

By: Resources First Foundation - RFF
A landowner recently asked us: What is the best way to ensure that the land I donate is not sold? We put the question to the land trust community and it generated quite a bit of activity on the land trust listserv.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Forever-Donation/192/

2014 Farm Bill Field Guide to Fish and Wildlife Conservation

By: North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee
The 2014 Farm Bill Field Guide to Fish and Wildlife Conservation was prepared as an introduction for fish and wildlife conservation providers – the on-the-ground biologists and conservation partners who help deliver Farm Bill conservation programs to landowners.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/2014-Farm-Bill-Field-Guide-to-Fish-and-Wildlife-Conservation/2690/

CALFED and the Bay-Delta Accord: Beginnings of an Integrated Approach to Water Policy and Use

California’s water wars are legendary, the stuff of books and the Hollywood drama, Chinatown, and they’ve been fought largely in agricultural ditches and the courts up until the creation of CALFED in 1994.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/CALFED-and-the-BayDelta-Accord--Beginnings-of-an-Integrated-Approach-to-Water-Policy-and-Use/428/

The Economic Importance of New York's Forest-Based Economy 2013

By: North East State Foresters Association
This report is an update of a series of similar reports that have been published for the State of New Hampshire by the North East State Foresters Association since the early 1990s.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/The-Economic-Importance-of-New-Yorks-ForestBased-Economy-2013/1941/

Hunters: A Force for Conservation

By: Breana Behrens
Hunting seasons are starting to open, making this a great time to commemorate the important role that hunters play in habitat conservation.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Hunters-A-Force-for-Conservation/1646/

Amos' Reading List

Take a look through Amos' reading list.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Amos-Reading-List/238/

Agricultural Conservation and the Next Farm Bill

By: Megan Stubbs;
Reauthorization of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 farm bill) failed to pass in the 112th Congress, leaving it to the 113th Congress to continue the farm bill debate.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Agricultural-Conservation-and-the-Next-Farm-Bill/903/

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Public Lands Council Rancher Conservation Summit

By: Amos Eno
This is the speech I gave at the NCBA Rancher Conservation Summit in February, 2009. It gives my perspective on how the internet can be an effective vehicle to bring the message of sucessful ranchland conservation to the public at large with no boundaries and no attached bias to promote ranching with rancher developed and reviewed conservation successes.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/National-Cattlemens-Beef-Association-Public-Lands-Council-Rancher-Conservation-Summit/2489/

Caring for Your Forest With a Forest Stewardship Plan

By: USDA Forest Service
If you own or manage forest land, you are probably concerned about keeping it productive and healthy now and in the years to come. Like many forest landowners, you may want to sustain or increase the economic value of your forest while protecting environmental assets such as wildlife and clean water.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Caring-for-Your-Forest-With-a-Forest-Stewardship-Plan/2867/

Investing in Forested Landscapes for Source Water Protection in the United States

By: Todd Gartner, James Mulligan, Rowan Schmidt, and John Gunn (editors)
Cities and towns across the United States face a growing water crisis. Aging water infrastructure, increasing demand, continued land use change, and increasingly extreme weather events are driving the costs of water management higher in the United States.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Investing-in-Forested-Landscapes-for-Source-Water-Protection-in-the-United-States/1693/

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due: Increasing Landowner Compensation for Ecosystem Services

By: Gina L. LaRocco and Robert L. Deal
This report provides an overview of existing payment programs and markets, and discusses the concepts of bundling and stacking, offer policy recommendations, and provides examples of current efforts to more effectively integrate payment opportunities for landowners.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Giving-Credit-Where-Credit-Is-Due-Increasing-Landowner-Compensation-for-Ecosystem-Services/2837/

Green versus gray: Nature's solutions to infrastructure demands

By: Erin Gray,Logan Yonavjak
Investors are increasingly considering the importance of green infrastructure solutions in saving the environment.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Green-versus-gray-Natures-solutions-to-infrastructure-demands/869/

Alternatives to Real Estate Development Deriving Financial Benefits from Conservation and Mitigation Projects in Virginia - a Lender's Collateral Concerns

By: R. Lee Stephens, Jr and Robert J. Allen
In the current economic environment, landowners previously contemplating development or sale of their real property are seeking alternative ways to generate cash flow from their real property assets.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Alternatives-to-Real-Estate-Development-Deriving-Financial-Benefits-from-Conservation-and-Mitigation-Projects-in-Virginia--a-Lenders-Collateral-Concerns/96/

Commercial Wind Energy Development in Wyoming: a Guide for Landonwers

By: Parady, K., J. Lovato, J. Wolf, D. Hulme, I. Burke.
Agricultural operations in Wyoming serve as spaces for the production of food and fiber, and are also wildlife habitats, landscapes and spaces that create and accommodate a variety of lifestyles (Taylor 2003).
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Commercial-Wind-Energy-Development-in-Wyoming-a-Guide-for-Landonwers/144/

Tara Wildlife Doing Business as a Sustainable Recreation Destination

By: K Gregg Elliott
Renowned for its hunting, Tara Wildlife also offers birding, hiking and a well-equipped conference and recreation facility.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Tara-Wildlife-Doing-Business-as-a-Sustainable-Recreation-Destination/207/

Landscape Stewardship Guide for Foresters and Land Managers

This document provides Forestry program managers with broad guidance on a landscape approach to forest stewardship in the region served by Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Landscape-Stewardship-Guide-for-Foresters-and-Land-Managers/460/

Family Forest Owners of the United States, 2006

By: Brett J. Butler
A technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Family-Forest-Owners-of-the-United-States-2006/1524/

Conservation and the Agricultural Act of 2014

By: Bradley Lubben and James Pease, Choices Magazine
Conservation has been part of federal farm policy since the first farm bills of the 1930s. Over time, conservation has grown in the farm bill to address multiple objectives and eco-system services and to respond to a wider array of stakeholders.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conservation-and-the-Agricultural-Act-of-2014/2383/

A Tuning Fork for Conservation by Amos S. Eno, President, Resources First Foundation, November 4, 2012

By: Amos Eno
This is the presentation to the Simsbury Connecticut Land Trust given by Amos Eno, President, Resources First Foundation on November 4, 2012.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/A-Tuning-Fork-for-Conservation-by-Amos-S-Eno-President-Resources-First-Foundation-November-4-2012/566/

Local Food a Growing Trend for Land Trusts

By: Erik Hoffner
Land trusts across the country are preserving agricultural lands to support local food systems.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Local-Food-a-Growing-Trend-for-Land-Trusts/831/

Conserving Habitat Through the Federal Farm Bill: A Guide for Land Trusts and Landowners

By: Aimee Weldon, Randall Gray, Ferd Hoefner, Brad Redlin, Izaak Walton, and Judy Boshoven

https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Conserving-Habitat-Through-the-Federal-Farm-Bill-A-Guide-for-Land-Trusts-and-Landowners-/1516/

US Protected Lands Mismatch Biodiversity Priorities

By: Clinton N. Jenkins, Kyle S. Van Houtan, Stuart L. Pimm, and Joseph O. Sexton
Because habitat loss is the main cause of extinction, where and how much society chooses to protect is vital for saving species. The United States is well positioned economically and politically to pursue habitat conservation should it be a societal goal.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/US-Protected-Lands-Mismatch-Biodiversity-Priorities/2688/

New England Forests: The Path to Sustainability

By: Robert T. Perschel, R. Alec Giffen, and Frank Lowenstein
New England’s forests are the ultimate green resource for sustainability. Right now they are an underappreciated, underutilized resource.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/New-England-Forests-The-Path-to-Sustainability/2481/

Massachusetts Court Clarifies Forest Property Tax Exemption

By: Breana Behrens
In the Massachusetts Supreme Court case New England Forestry Foundation v. Board of Assessors of Hawley the Court found that a parcel of forestland NEFF owns is eligible for a full exemption from property taxes.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Massachusetts-Court-Clarifies-Forest-Property-Tax-Exemption/2202/

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Availability for Draft Recovery Crediting Guidance

By: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior

https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Endangered-and-Threatened-Wildlife-and-Plants-Notice-of-Availability-for-Draft-Recovery-Crediting-Guidance-/1797/

Understanding and Reaching Family Forest Owners: Lessons from Social Marketing Research

By: Brett J. Butler, Mary Tyrrell, Geoff Feinberg, Scott VanManen, Larry Wiseman, and Scott Wallinger

https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Understanding-and-Reaching-Family-Forest-Owners-Lessons-from-Social-Marketing-Research/1012/

Multi-Generational Ownership and Planning for Family Owned Properties

By: David J. Backer, Richard A. Spencer
The paper explains many of the common legal tools used by families to manage and/or transfer family lands, and gives a very good overview of the expectations and considerations families will face throughout the process.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/MultiGenerational-Ownership-and-Planning-for-Family-Owned-Properties/497/

Payments for Forest Carbon

By: Northern Forest Center, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences
Payments for forest carbon sequestration are an emerging opportunity for small forest owners to earn additional income, and in turn to sustain both the economic and ecological values of the Northern Forest.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Payments-for-Forest-Carbon/2828/

Natural Resources Credit Trading Reference

By: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
The purpose of the NRCS Natural Resource Credit Trading Reference is to provide an understanding of how environmental credit trading can be used to increase the provision of conservation and ecosystem services by agriculture.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Natural-Resources-Credit-Trading-Reference/2832/

National Woodlands: Summer 2014

By: National Woodland Owners Association
Landowner led and purpose driven, National Woodslands is published quarterly to promote the wise use of America's forest resources. This is focuses on wildfire management and policy.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/National-Woodlands-Summer-2014/2399/

Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities: A Guide to Federal Programs for Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry, Entrepreneurship, Conservation, Food Systems, and Community Development

By: Margaret Krome (MFAI), George Reistad (MFAI) and NSAC's policy staff
This guide lists funding opportunities offered by federal programs, and is indispensable for anyone seeking government help to foster their innovative enterprise in forestry and agriculture.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Building-Sustainable-Farms-Ranches-and-Communities-A-Guide-to-Federal-Programs-for-Sustainable-Agriculture-Forestry-Entrepreneurship-Conservation-Food-Systems-and-Community-Development/2517/

The State of The Birds United States of America 2009

By: North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee
The United States is blessed with diverse landscapes, a wealth of natural resources, and spectacular wildlife, including more than 800 bird species.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/The-State-of-The-Birds-United-States-of-America-2009/1180/

BLM's Best Management Practices for Sage Grouse

By: Bureau of Land Management
In this report, produced by the Sage-grouse National Technical Team in 2011, the BLM outlines Best Management Practices for Sage-grouse in the Appendixes.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/BLMs-Best-Management-Practices-for-Sage-Grouse/2285/

Best Practices for State Wildlife Action Plans: Voluntary Guidance to States for Revision and Implementation

By: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Teaming With Wildlife Committee’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) Best Practices Working Group
This report is organized into six chapters based on the Eight Required Elements of SWAPs.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Best-Practices-for-State-Wildlife-Action-Plans-Voluntary-Guidance-to-States-for-Revision-and-Implementation/2809/

Effects of Climatic Variability and Change on Forest Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the U.S. Forest Sector

By: James M. Vose, David L. Peterson, and Toral Patel-Weynand, Editors
This report is a scientific assessment of the current condition and likely future condition of forest resources in the United States relative to climatic variability and change.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Effects-of-Climatic-Variability-and-Change-on-Forest-Ecosystems-A-Comprehensive-Science-Synthesis-for-the-US-Forest-Sector/1023/

Estate Planning for Forest Landowners: What Will Become of Your Timberland?

By: William C. Siegel, Harry L. Haney, Jr., and John L. Greene
The purpose of this book is to provide guidelines and assistance to nonindustrial private forest owners and the legal, tax, financial, insurance, and forestry professionals who serve them on the application of estate planning techniques to forest properties.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Estate--Planning-for-Forest-Landowners-What-Will-Become-of-Your-Timberland/1674/

Habitat Management Guideslines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwestern US

The Habitat Management Guideslines for Amphibians and Reptiles series (hereafter Guidelines) is intended to provide private landowners, state and federal land agencies, and other wwformation and specific management guidelines presented are based on best available science, peer-reviewed expert opinion, and published literature.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/Habitat-Management-Guideslines-for-Amphibians-and-Reptiles-of-the-Midwestern-US/536/

National Forest System Land Management Planning Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

By: USDA - Forest Service
Abstract: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (U SDA) Forest Service (the Agency) is proposing a new rule at 36 CFR part 219 to guide development, revision, and amendment of land management plans for units of the National Forest System.
https://privatelandownernetwork.org/article/National-Forest-System-Land-Management-Planning-Final-Programmatic-Environmental-Impact-Statement-/1728/

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