Working Forest Conservation Easement Our Forests today and for the Future

Abstract

Abstract A Working Forest Conservation Easement is an efficient and effective present-day approach to solving the problem of dwindling quantities of reasonably unspoiled land in America. The United States of America, from the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, allowed and encouraged private ownership of land. As population increased, demand for agricultural products increased. As science and technology advanced, so did our ability to fully extract and deplete natural resources from the land. Historically, landowners used their land as they saw fit, with little concern for the long-term consequences. Public and private conservation groups today continue to recognize that without change in attitude, increased incentives, and specific laws that regulate land use, America will eventually consume and ruin the land.