MSU professor wins USDA grant to examine economic questions surrounding conservation easements
Understanding how land use limitations imposed by conservation easements impact landowners and the public is the topic of new research by a Mississippi State professor in the College of Forest Resources.
George L. Switzer Professor of Forestry Changyou “Edwin” Sun is receiving a $600,000 grant award from the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, the USDA’S leading competitive grants program for agricultural science.
Sun is receiving the highly competitive award for the research proposal “Economic Analysis of Property Rights Encumbered by Forest Conservation Easements.” Collaborating with two economists and a law professor from the University of Georgia, Sun and the research team will scrutinize the legal and economic ramifications of restricting property rights on actively managed forests through conservation easements.
A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency designed to achieve environmental conservation goals by permanently restricting how the owner may use the land.
“The major motivations for each stakeholder are different, but they 1.75 percent or about 13 million come together to reach an agreement,” acres of all forest land in the U.S. Sun said. “For landowners, was permanently protected under a conservation easement can provide a conservation easement. Sun estimates direct payment or tax benefits. the current number to be To a conservation institute or government about 2 percent. agency, these agreements “The practice of conservation foster non-market outputs such as easements has been in place for the carbon sequestration, water conservation last 30 years,” Sun said. “However, or wildlife protection.” studies on the economics have
For the last three decades, conservation lagged behind. That’s why we want easements have become to do more research.” an innovative and effective instrument Sun found that past studies have
not fully addressed some important to protect forest land held by private owners. As of 2015,