QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY BIRD BREEDING ATLAS PROJECT
Incentives
 

 Introduction

The purpose of this webpage is to inform our readers about the incentives of decreasing forest fragmentation.

Incentives are reasons why people would be encouraged to protect the environment.

Our website presents ideas as to how people all over the county would benefit by saving our forests.

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Incentive Programs

     Landowners want their land to stay undeveloped. They would be able to pass land to family members without paying a large amount in taxes. Agencies should set good examples to the public. Here are the incentive programs in our area:

• Buffer Incentive program
• VA Agricultural BMP Cost-Share
• Streambank Fencing Program
• Agricultural Conservation Program
• Conservation Reserve Program
• Wetlands Reserve Program
• Woodland Incentive Program
• Forest Stewardship Program
• Forestry Incentive Program
• Stewardship Incentive Program
• Special Rivers Project
• Tree-Mendous Maryland
• Forest Conservation and Management Program
• Reforestation/Timber Stand Improvement Tax Deduction Program (TAXMOD)
• Agricultural Use Assessment
• Use-Value Taxation
• Farmland and Forest Land Assessment ("Clean and Green Act")

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 What The Programs Do

• Buffer Incentive program-$300 per acre of a one time payment to plant and then to maintenance of the minimum of 50 foot forested buffers that are placed along shorelines and streams
• VA Agricultural BMP Cost-Share- program for pasture and crop land has recently been in production a one time $100 per acre to put minimum of 50 foot forested buffers along their/your streams
• Streambank Fencing Program- with fencing of the minimum of 12 foot buffers that are free to landowners by the PA Game Commission, but there is and exchange for public hunting
• Agricultural Conservation Program- a cost share for establishing all of the following grasses shrubs those are in eroding areas tree, and finally riparian zone
• Conservation Reserve Program- For at least 10 years it takes the highly erodible land out of production. There is a cost share for other vegetative cover and tree establishments. The annual land rental payments are taken out of the production.
• Wetlands Reserve Program- This incentive allows the farmers to sell 30 year or permanent easement to the U.S.D.A  To restore the altered wetland to natural conditions there is a cost share that is placed. The eligible land includes the following, prior converted cropland, riparian areas along the streams, farmed wetlands or the water courses that link to protect wetland.   
• Woodland Incentive Program- There is a Cost share that has been provided to the non- industrial private woodland owners. This is for them to plant trees and to establish riparian forest buffers.
• Forest Stewardship Program- When there is technical assistance that is provided to the private landowners for the implementing conversion while help meet the harvesting needs. Also the Forest Stewardship Plans has required that there is participation in other federal cost-share programs that are for forestry.  
• Forestry Incentive Program - There is a cost share for the following, tree planting this includes the in forest wetland and the areas that are riparian, that are on private non- industrial forest lands.  
• Stewardship Incentive Program- a cost-share for the following, stream fencing, riparian and wetland improvements, tree shelters, tree planting and the fisheries habitat improvement that is on non-industrial of private land.
• Special Rivers Project- This is limited to the Susquehanna, Anacostia, and Monocacy river basins. In both rural and urban wetlands there is foresters forest stewardship and the best managements 
• Tree-Mendous Maryland- There is local organizations that construct community plantings on the public property. Also it trains the people to help led some tree planting efforts in their (the peoples) communities. 
• Forest Conservation and Management Program- There is special tax assessments that are on the forestland, and if the landowner agree to adhere to a forest stewardship plan. 
• Reforestation/Timber Stand Improvement Tax Deduction Program (TAXMOD)-The landowners that are owners of small forestry operations are allow to deduct double the cost associated with forestation activities. This includes those people in the riparian zone.
• Agricultural Use Assessment- Does the preferential assessment on the value of land used for agriculture. Woodlots can also receive an agricultural assessment. There are no specific requirements for riparian areas.
• Use-Value Taxation- Many counties provide preferential assessments on land used for agriculture and forests. There are no specific requirements for riparian areas.
• Farmland and Forest Land Assessment ("Clean and Green Act")- Each county participating can grant a preferential assessment for 10+ continuous acres of land dedicated to agriculture, forest preserve, or open-space purposes. There are no specific requirements for riparian areas.

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 Forest Management Easements

     A forest management easement is a specific type of conservation easement that is primarily focused on preserving "working" forests. This forest management Easement includes provisions that are for active forest management. It also ensures a permanent working forest. The forest management easement offers incentive to the landowners, and provides liquidity on a major forest asset: timber.

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Conservation Easement

     A conservation easement is to preserve open space (meadows, fields, etc) and to protect natural resources. The easement that the landowner goes with has limits to the dividing of the property. That means that it is a lasting or perpetual agreement. The landowner still remains the owner of the property but is limited to the possibilities of what he can do to make money off his land. The easement is to protect all kinds of places; woodland, farmland, wetland, historic land, scenic land and wild and scenic rivers.

     A donation to the easement will have tax benefits. An organization that takes and accepts the easement will monitor over the property to ensure the terms of it. This is a smart choice because there are tax deductions. This also makes it easier for the landowners to pass their land down to their children with out having so many taxes to pay. The easement is applied to the future landowners. The bigger the "gift" the bigger the tax deduction. But if there is a perpetuity, they will have to pay larger taxes while they still own the land. When you have a perpetuity, you do not have to pay as much in taxes, and your land will stay undeveloped.

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 Obstacles

     The primary obstacles we may run into while using incentives to convince people to stop fragmenting forests are as follows: Landowner's loss of control, perpetuity (taxes), or a new, untested program.

     A landowner's loss of control can be a problem because developers are paying landowners a lot of money to develop their land. This encourages landowners to sell their land and get it developed, which means less habitat for the species in our county.

     Not having perpetuity can also be a problem. Perpetuity is when people promise to never develop their land, and they don't have to pay large taxes. This means even their great grandchildren...anyone in their family that the land is passed down to, cannot sell their land to get the money. This is an obstacle because most people want to sell the land afterwards to a developer so they can get a lot of money; and therefore most landowners that are uneducated about the incentives of keeping land undeveloped/perpetuity, will choose to sell their land to be developed. This, however, is not the choice our environment would benefit from.

     A new, untested program could pose as an obstacle because they don't have a lot of experience and don't know how their program will effect the environment. This means that their program might have an undesirable affect on our environment and then people will not want to support the program - or it will reverse the positive effect of other incentive programs.

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easement- the privilege of using something that is not your own (as using another's land as a right of way to your own land)

liquidity- The degree to which an asset or security that can be bought or sold in the market without affecting the asset's price. Liquidity is characterized by a high level of trading activity.

non- industrial -not having highly developed manufacturing enterprises

perpetual- something that is lasting for eternity

perpetuity- the condition of an estate that is limited so as to be inalienable either perpetually or longer than the period determined by law.

provisions- A stipulation or qualification, especially a clause in a document or agreement.