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For Immediate Release: April 24, 2007 | |||
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Moffatt Tree Farm in Craftsbury Jim and Joan Moffatt sold a conservation easement on their 174-acre tree farm in Craftsbury to the Vermont Land Trust this month, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. The conservation easement ensures that the land may not be sub-divided and that its statewide agricultural soil will continue to be used for tree farming, sugaring and wood products. The conservation easement also includes an Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value, which is a tool designed to assure the long-term affordability of the land to future farmers. This easement purchase was made possible through funding from the Freeman Foundation. The Moffatt family has owned the property since the early 1930s. Jim and Joan took the farm over from Jim’s father in the 1960s. It was at this time that Jim transitioned the property from a dairy farm to a Christmas tree operation because he preferred working in the woods and he could see that softwoods, particularly balsam, grew well in the valley. The Moffatts currently grow and harvest a variety of species of planted Christmas trees as well as naturally regenerated balsam trees that are released in response to openings in their softwood stands. In addition, they harvest and market pulp and sawlogs. Jim and Joan were fortunate that Jim’s father was able to pass his farm along to them at an affordable price. They want to be able to do the same for their son Steve and his family; however, this has become a difficult thing to do in Craftsbury, where land values have increased dramatically and a number of land parcels have been sold for development of expensive homes. The sale of a conservation easement provided the funding to both protect the agricultural value of their land keep the farm affordable for the next generation. “We believe in land conservation and stewardship,” said Jim Moffatt. “It’s what we’ve tried to do for as long as we’ve lived here. We also wanted to know that the land remained affordable for our son and his family, as well as for generations to come. The sale of a conservation easement made it possible for us to achieve a number of family goals in one transaction.” “It was a real pleasure to work with the Moffatts on this conservation project,” said Carl Powden, the Vermont Land Trust Forest Projects Director. “Their commitment to the land and its thoughtful stewardship is evident to anyone who spends time with them.”, The Vermont Land Trust helped Jim and Joan Moffatt conserve their land through the use of a conservation easement. An easement helps landowners voluntarily limit development on productive farmland and forestland, and other meaningful natural and community places. Landowners continue to own, manage, and pay taxes on the land and can sell their land; however, the conservation easement permanently remains on the property. The Vermont Land Trust is a nonprofit
organization that works with individuals, organizations and communities
to conserve land for the future of Vermont. Since 1977, the Vermont Land
Trust has helped conserve more than 1,300 parcels of land covering over
455,000 acres, or about 8 percent of the private, undeveloped land in
the state. The conserved land includes more than 600 working farms,
hundreds of thousands of acres of productive forestland, and numerous
parcels of community lands. This conservation work changes the lives of
families, invigorates farms, launches new businesses, maintains scenic
vistas, encourages recreational opportunity, and fosters a renewed sense
of community. For more information, call (802) 223-5234 or visit VLT on
the web at www.vlt.org.
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