| Contact Information | Date |
|---|---|
| For Immediate Release Contact: Rob Suydam 804. 328.3031 |
Aug. 2, 2010 VDOF 10029 |
Conservation Easement to Help Fort Pickett
The Virginia Department of Forestry’s (VDOF) commitment to forestland conservation and slowing the loss of valuable forestland entered a new phase this year. The Prosise Family conservation easement was recorded in Dinwiddie County, making it the first Fort Pickett Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) conservation easement held by a State agency.
Because forest conversion results from the choices of individual landowners, the conservation easement program helps keep an owner’s land forested and in the family. Funding for this land protection was provided by Fort Pickett’s ACUB program as a means of protecting the military installation from encroaching development. Administered by the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, this federal program provides local landowners direct cash payments in return for selling conservation easements on their land, as well as any applicable state and federal tax incentives.
The Prosise family has owned its property, also known as the Butterwood Farm, for 135 years. The tract has been designated a Century Farm under the Virginia Century Farm Program and is being managed for agricultural and forest production, as well as wildlife habitat. Because the property has been in the Prosise family for so long, the option of a conservation easement was an ideal means to meet their needs.
Everette Prosise said, “In our opinion, the most important thing in life is raising children who become responsible adults. The second most important thing in life is preserving family land. The conservation easement gives us the opportunity to address the second priority.”
Attorney Lee Stephens, who assisted the Prosise family in developing the conservation easement agreement, said, “There is no other tool in the estate planning toolbox that can keep an asset as it is forever. Conservation easements are unique and especially well-suited for those who love their land.”
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a government agency or land trust that permanently limits future development of the land to protect its conservation values. The terms of the easement are negotiated between the landowner and the organization that will hold the easement, in this case, VDOF. The terms of the easement are perpetual and apply to all future landowners. The organization holding the easement is responsible for ensuring the easement’s terms are followed. Landowners continue to own, use and control their land, and can sell it or pass it on to heirs.
Conversion of forestland to such uses as residential subdivisions is not the only threat facing many landowners. With 7 million acres of Virginia forestland owned by private landowners 55 years of age or older, shifting ownership to a new generation concerns many. The Prosise family recognized the potential risks to forestland when it will be passed down to the next generation.
Prosise said, “Too often when land is given to multiple heirs, it is then sold into smaller and smaller tracts, which soon become a subdivision or a hodgepodge of lots that destroy the agricultural and forestry character of the land. We did not want that to happen. In our case, supportive children made the decision easy. Whoever owns this farm in the future will own it because they too want to enjoy its natural resources. That makes us happy. A conservation easement allows us to ensure that the land that means the most to us and our family will be used and enjoyed in the future the way it has been used and enjoyed in the past. With the conservation easement, we are assured that this property will continue to offer its natural resources to those who enjoy nature and a rural lifestyle.”
The Virginia Department of Forestry has been providing public services to landowners for nearly 100 years. As our future continues to present new challenges to landowners, the VDOF is well positioned to provide for the needs of Virginia’s citizens.
Stephens described the relationship between VDOF and the Prosise Family this way: “The professionalism of the Virginia Department of Forestry provides an important sense of security that this [easement] will protect the land forever. VDOF has been here for the long-haul and will continue to make sure Virginians grow forests for generations to come.”
In addition to ACUB, the VDOF also has a special land conservation program in southeast Virginia called Tomorrow Woods. The Tomorrow Woods program offers funding towards the up-front costs of developing an easement, such as attorney and appraisal fees. This program is offered to forest landowners in the counties of Dinwiddie, Isle of Wight, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, and the City of Suffolk. For more information on these and other land conservation services provided by the VDOF, please contact Rob Suydam at 804.328.3031.
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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.
With nearly 16 million acres of forestland and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.
