Forest Legacy
The Forest Legacy Program was created in 1990 to identify and protect environmentally important forests threatened by conversion to non-forest uses.
- Funds from the program buy conservation easements or purchase land outright from willing sellers.
- Intended to protect important scenic, cultural, and recreational resources, fish and wildlife habitat, riparian corridors, important timberlands, and other ecologically important areas.
- State or local partners provide matching funds of at least 25 percent.
Highlands Conservation Act
In November 2004, the landmark Highlands Conservation Act was passed. The Highlands Conservation Act "Recognizes the importance of the water, forest, agricultural, wildlife, recreational, and cultural resources of the Highlands region, and the national significance of the Highlands region to the United States."
- Authorizes Congress to spend up to $100 million in federal matching funds over 10 years for land preservation and protection in the Highland states (PA, NJ, NY, CT).
- Authorizes $10 million over 10 years for USDA Forest Service research and technical assistance programs.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
LWCF is a visionary, bipartisan program established by Congress in 1964 to create parks and open spaces, protect wilderness and wetlands, preserve wildlife habitat, and enhance recreational opportunities.
- Congress authorized the program to be funded each year with a portion of federal proceeds received from oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf.
- LWCF can be the largest source of federal money for park, wildlife, and open space land acquisition, but only if Congress comes through with their commitment to provide the funding that they are authorized to. Recently, Congress has not chosen to fund LWCF as robustly as they could. Since its enactment, LWCF has been responsible for the protection of nearly 7 million acres and the establishment of more than 38,000 state and local parks and recreational areas.
Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program
The Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program was created in 2008 to give communities matching funds to purchase critical forestland tracts and provide technical assistance through state forestry agencies for outstanding forest management.
- Provides 50-50 matching funds to help local governments, tribes, and non-profit organizations acquire forest areas that are economically, culturally, and environmentally important to that locality and threatened by development.
- Differs from the Forest Legacy program by providing grants directly to local governments and non-profits for full fee acquisition, not conservation easements.
- The program’s criteria are built around evaluation of a project’s community impact and it requires public access and active community engagement in forest planning for parcels.
Additional Resources
