Conservation Agreement Options
MALPH— The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) was established by the Maryland General Assembly in 1977 and is part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The Foundation purchases agricultural preservation easements that forever restrict development on prime farmland and woodland.
The mission of the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation is:
- To preserve productive farmland and woodland for the continued production of food and fiber for all of Maryland's citizens;
- To curb the expansion of random urban development;
- To help curb the spread of urban blight and deterioration;
- To help protect agricultural land and woodland as open space;
- To protect wildlife habitat; and
- To enhance the environmental quality of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
FRO—The Forest Resource Ordinance is a purchased easement program that runs in perpetuity. The landowner is required to establish a riparian buffer along streams and hydrologically sensitive areas. It is a free market to sell “credits”. The current rate is approximately $10,000 per acre* minus the planting and survey expanses.
*CLT is not responsible for setting the rates for the FRO program.
IPP—The Installment Purchase Program, instituted in 2002, has protected over 4,200 acres of prime farmland on 24 farms in Frederick County, increasing the acreage previously preserved through a variety of other state and county land preservation programs. Landowners who enter the program agree to place an agricultural preservation easement on their farm, thereby restricting development. In return, the applicant enters into a 10-20 year Installment Purchase Agreement with the county. This agreement pays the landowner tax-free interest on the easement value for a term of 10-20 years. At the end of the agreement term the applicant then receives the full principle payment.
For more information, contact Program Administrator Tim Blaser at 301-694-2513 (tblaser@fredco-md.net) or Sonja Ingram at 301-694-1474 (singram@fredco-md.net).
Rural Legacy— The Rural Legacy Program encourages local governments and private land trusts to identify Rural Legacy Areas and to competitively apply for funds to complement existing land preservation efforts or to develop new ones. Easements or fee estate purchases are sought from willing landowners in order to protect areas vulnerable to sprawl development that can weaken an area’s natural resources, thereby jeopardizing the economic value of farming, forestry, recreation and tourism.
On the state level, the Rural Legacy Program is funded through a combination of Maryland Program Open Space dollars and general obligation bonds from the state’s capital budget.
