Landowner Resources

Conserving Your Land

All Land Matters! We draw on our Habitat for All (HFA) program’s philosophy that each of us has a vital role to play in conservation by knowing and caring for our gardens, backyards, farms, and forests. We believe that whether you create habitat in your garden or backyard with HFA or work with MLT to permanently conserve a large tract, together we will have a huge impact on our land, water, air, and quality of life, while supporting our local economy. We want to find what works for you and the planet:

An Introduction To Conserving Your Land provides perspectives on why long-term conservation may make sense for you and your land, potential tax and financial benefits, and some how-to basics for getting started.

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Permanent Conservation

MLT's 25,000 + acres of preserved lands and easements have come through dozens of gifts and purchases since 1989. If you reach out to us, we can evaluate whether your land can serve the big public benefits to allow us to devote time and resources required for an acquisition. We look for lands that superbly do one or more of:

Support biodiversity and provide wildlife corridors for a changing climate
Connect to other conserved or public lands for larger ecological and recreational impact
Contain rare or imperiled habitats or species
Protect water quality in key watersheds, aquifers, or wetlands
Mitigate climate change by storing carbon or providing vital ecosystem services
Restore or enhance degraded landscapes into valuable habitat
Have strong community value as scenic, iconic, or special places
Offer opportunities for education, recreation, and deeper connection to nature
Provide important trail or low-impact recreation opportunities
Support working farms or forests or provide other economic benefits
Serve multiple community needs such as a hybrid conservation and housing project

MLT’s Executive Director, Kirk Siegel, enjoys talking with landowners about the possibilities. Reach out to him at kirk@mahoosuc.org. He is also happy to talk with you about the merits of less permanent options below.

Managing Forests for Habitat

At MLT, it’s all about Habitat. We can connect you with resources to help you make a difference with your land, some of which have funding available. Here are a few:

Maine Audubon provides extensive resources and guides to help landowners manage their property for wildlife and birds. Forestry for Maine Birds provides different guides for foresters, landowners, and loggers. Forests for Maine Fish guides include one for foresters and one for homeowners. Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Maple program works with maple producers on improving management of their sugarbushes to ensure high quality breeding habitat for our resident and migratory birds. See full list of publications.

Maine’s WoodsWISE Program provides cost-share assistance for professional forest management plans that support forest health, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity. While sustainable timber management can be part of these plans, the primary focus is on overall forest stewardship and maintaining ecological values. The program helps landowners take practical steps to manage and care for their forests responsibly.

There are a number of programs that provide forest landowners with compensation and other benefits based on future forest land management. The Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP) works with private forest owners in MLT’s service area in Maine and New Hampshire, and provides income and resources to help you improve the health and value of your forest. The program is uniquely designed to expand access to carbon markets for family forest owners. It provides annual payments to implement forest management practices that are proven to enhance carbon capture and storage, improve forest health, and deliver financial and ecological benefits to local communities.

Family Forest Carbon Program_MLT

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The Maine Tree Growth Tax Law encourages landowners to manage forestland for sustainable timber production (minimum 10 acres, management plan required) and the Maine Open Space Current Use Program allows landholding in undeveloped, wildlife-or recreational-oriented use to be taxed at its “current use” value rather than development value. https://www.maine.gov/revenue/taxes/tax-relief-credits-programs/property-tax-relief-programs/land-use-programs

The New Hampshire Current Use Program lets qualifying forest, farm or open-space land (typically 10 + acres) be taxed at its productive capacity rather than its highest and best use. https://www.revenue.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt736/files/documents/current-use-criteria-booklet.pdf

Each of these is voluntary and flexible, offering tax relief and supporting conservation goals — but if the land is withdrawn or developed, a penalty (or change-in-use tax) will apply.

MAHOOSUC Land Trust