Land protection is a personal decision that a landowner makes about their own land. However, land protection and conservation have implications beyond the scale of an individual landowner. Selectboards, town planners, conservation commissions, and residents all influence and are influenced by conservation decisions within a community. The resources on this page can help communities better understand how conservation and land protection impact things like taxes and town finances, economic growth and sustainability, and community health. 

Perhaps the most effective role for OSCs may be helping their neighbors make informed decisions about the future of their land by getting them timely information and contacts when they are making decisions.  This role complements the work of land trusts and state conservation agencies who can then provide the necessary expertise to help interested landowners conserve their land. To help OSCs and community leaders inform landowners and advance land conservation in their community, we have developed a publication.

• MassMapper Mapping Tool
• MassMapper Quick Start Guide
• MassMapper User Guide
• MassMapper Workshop Supplement
• MassMapper Interface Guide

How does Land Protection Influence Taxes and Town Finances?

Cost of community services studies help towns understand how land use influences town revenues and expenses. This method, developed by the American Farmland Trust, has been used in dozens of communities around Massachusetts and the US.

• Recent COCS analysis for four Massachusetts communities
• Step-by-step Guide: How to calculate a COCS ratio for your own town
• Use this spreadsheet along with the PDF to help you calculate the ratios: Spreadsheet to accompany the step-by-step guide
• COCS meta-analysis: An academic journal article exploring some of the assumptions of COCS, and what town characteristics influence the ratios
• Research has shown that properties near conserved land have higher property values.

Health and Community Sustainability

The Trust for Public Land has conducted multiple studies about the benefits of open space to communities within and outside Massachusetts. Explore their Massachusetts website to learn more about their work in the state, and their economic and community health page to learn about studies related to those topics. Click here to access TPL's 2011 report on the return on investment in open space and park conservation in Massachusetts.

Communities Across New England Get an Economic Boost from Protected Land

A new study from Harvard Forest showed that land protection positively impacts local economies throughout New England. Click here to read more about the study, and click here to listen to this work featured on NPR!

Economic Contributions of Conserved Forests to Local Communities

The Forest Legacy Program (FLP) is administered by the USDA Forest Service to protect historic forest uses and intact working forest landscapes. This study (2021) quantified economic activities on FLP land in four areas to assess how these activities contribute to the economy of the multistate region in which the projects are located. The substantial economic contribution in natural resource industries suggests that permanent protection of forests provides economic and cultural benefits in perpetuity. This information illustrates the contributions of FLP to local economies and can be used to assess the value of the program and the potential for future funding. Click here to read the full journal article.