Preservation Reports
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Executive Summary
As the new home of NCPIRG's environmental work,
Environment North Carolina can be contacted with any questions regarding this report.
North Carolina’s signature
woodlands, farmlands and open spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate. In
the last 20 years, North Carolina has lost 2.8 million acres of cropland and
forest land. Between 1982 and 2002, North Carolina lost cropland and forest
land at the rate of 383 acres every day. In
the last 20 years:
• Charlotte, the state’s largest metropolitan area, lost 26 percent of its total
cropland and forest land for a total of 300,000 acres, more than any other region
in the state.
• The Triangle region saw 21 percent of its cropland and forest land transformed.
The region lost 220,000 acres of cropland and 140,000 acres of forest land.
• The Triad region (Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point) lost 24 percent
of its cropland and forest land, a total of 216,000 acres. Between 1982 and
2002, developed land in the state grew by 2 million acres.
• The Triangle region more than doubled its developed acreage, adding 300,000
acres.
• Rural counties in the Piedmont region added 350,000 acres of development.
• The Charlotte area added 300,000 acres of developed land, an increase of 92
percent. Over the same period, population has grown by 42 percent—remarkably
fast, but slowly in comparison to the growth of developed acreage, which has
increased 82 percent.
If current trends continue,
North Carolina’s treasured open spaces will disappear as vast tracts of land
are developed into urban areas in the next 20 years. Between 2002 and 2022:
• 9 percent of forest land, or 1.4 million acres will be lost.
• 32 percent of cropland will disappear, totaling 1.7 million acres.
• Developed land area will increase 55 percent, or 2.4 million acres, statewide.
Recommendations
• Keep the Million Acre Promise
Three years ago, in response to the state’s vanishing open spaces, the General
Assembly pledged to save 1 million acres of our open spaces by 2010. They designated
four open space preservation programs to carry out their promise: the Clean
Water Management Trust Fund, the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the Natural
Heritage Trust Fund, and the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund.
While these programs have been successful, the state is behind on its progress
to save a million acres, with only 150,000 acres protected in the last three
years. Meanwhile, the recent budget crisis has threatened funding of the programs.
For fiscal year 2004, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund received a 38 percent
cut from its original allocation, while the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund
received no funds at all. With incoming revenue standing a chance to fall short
of projections, the temptation will be to cut these programs even further.
Even at full funding levels, existing land conservation programs are not enough
to reach the million acres goal. To do so, the programs need an additional $1.2
billion over the next seven years, or $176 million each year. A portion of this
funding could come from developer and realty fees, and will enable direct government
purchases; a small amount can come from tax incentives for private landowners
to conserve their land.
North Carolina’s leaders should take steps to:
• Protect our natural resource trust funds from severe budget cuts.
• Establish a permanent, dedicated source of open space protection funding.
• Add to existing tax incentives for land conservation and to penalties for
development.
• Expand the number of tools available to local governments to protect open
spaces.
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