Our Work
Douglas County Working Land Easements
Oaks in fall at Dear Ranch. Credit: Alicia Christiansen
Working Land Easements are voluntary agreements where the landowner sells or donates their development rights to a land trust to keep their land available for agriculture forever. In addition to the assurance the farm or ranch will stay in agriculture, conveying an easement as a number of practical advantages including cash and tax benefits which allow for succession and business expansion or make the land more affordable for the next generation.
The Oregon Agricultural Trust’s role within the Umpqua Oaks Partnership is to provide this conservation tool by partnering with private landowners who may be interested in protecting their farms and ranches. Critical oak habitat, often found on the non-farmed margins of agricultural properties or within the oak savannas grazed by livestock, is a prominent feature of farms and ranches throughout Douglas County. Working land easements are not only beneficial to the farmer or rancher and the agricultural operation, but protect these unique landscapes which are key to important wildlife habitat and building climate resilience locally.
To learn more about working land easements and the Oregon Agricultural Trust, contact Phoebe Autry at phoebe@oregonagtrust.org.