Conservation Easements on Private Land

This brief examines the prevalence and geographic distribution of federal conservation easements on private land in the United States using PAD-US data. Federal easement acreage is highly concentrated in large western and Plains states, with North Dakota and South Dakota ranking first and second in total private land area under federal easement. Easement shares are especially high in the Northern Plains, where more than 7 percent of privately owned land in the Dakotas is under federal easement, often in areas with substantial agricultural production. The number of easements grew slowly before 1990, accelerated with the Wetlands Reserve Program, Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, and Grassland Reserve Program, and continued under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program after 2014. Most federal easements in the dataset are perpetual conservation easements. The findings highlight why easement policy remains controversial in working-land regions and why recent proposals to limit contract duration have gained attention among landowners and policymakers.