Back to Home Page Back to Info Page
Forestlands
Can Be Profitable for New England Towns
The Forestry Source, March 1997, Page 10
Many towns in New England are facing the same hard-to-answer questions: Should acres of forestland be turned into housing lots? Will this growth raise taxes or lower them?
Facts that can help towns answer these questions are found in Cost of Community Services in Southern New England, a study recently released by the Southern New England Forest Consortium, Inc., of Chepachet, Rhode Island.
The planning study, made possible in part by a grant from the USDA Forest Service, identified state and region wide trends regarding the fiscal impact of various types of land use and development. It found that forest and farmlands help balance municipal budgets. According to the study, on average towns spend more money on residential services than they raise in taxes form residential lands. Forest, farms, and open space contribute excess moneys to municipal coffers-more than towns spend on services to these sectors.
Does this mean that growing communities should halt all development? "No, but towns need to be aware of facts and the costs of development to the community," says Thomas Dupree, president of SNEFCI. Dupree is also the Rhode Island state forester and a member of the New England SAF. "They shouldn't develop haphazardly, but adopt a plan for growth, and balance the needs for housing with strategies to protect space."
The unprecedented, region-wide study was conducted in conjunction with the Commonwealth Research Group, Inc. and McGregor & Shea, of Boston. The Southern New England Forest Consortium is a nonprofit forest conservation organization. The Commonwealth Research services. McGregor & Shea specializes in environmental law.
This past October the Massachusetts chapter of the American Planning Association honored SNEFCI and its cooperating organizations with a Meritorious Outstanding Planning Award for conducting the study.
"Many planning decisions are made on emotion," says Karen Nelson, chair for the APA Awards Committee. "As a professional planner, I know that facts need to be part of the decision process. all towns facing revenue issues and development should be aware of this study. It uses 11 New England towns in various stages of development, so there is relevancy to almost all communities in New England."
For
more information, contact, SNEFCI at PO box 760, Chepachet, Rhode Island 02814;
(401) 568-1610.