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123 <br /> Hillsborough Township crop and pasture land had been removed <br /> from production between 1981 and 1987. The second source of <br /> evidence is specific enrollment trends in the Orange County <br /> use value taxation program. The program, which began in the <br /> early 1980's, allows land owners whose property meets certain <br /> agricultural production or forest management criteria to have <br /> that property taxed at its use value rather than the higher <br /> market value. In the five year period from 1982 to 1987 the <br /> • overall acreage enrolled in the program remained relatively <br /> unchanged, increasing less than 1% from 3,665 acres to 3,698 <br /> acres. If property that was exempt from all taxation in 1982 <br /> but taxed and enrolled in the program in 1987 is removed from <br /> the total, though, the total acreage enrolled dropped 7% in <br /> the five year period. <br /> • . <br /> More telling, the number of parcels enrolled in the program <br /> increased from 43 to 66 while the average parcel size dropped <br /> from 85 acres to 56 acres. This implies two things. First, <br /> smaller land owners, who may initially have thought that the <br /> tax benefits of enrolling in the program were not worth the <br /> increased regulation, are now taking advantage of the program <br /> in the face of increasing assessments. Second, the trend <br /> implies that parts of large parcels are being subdivided, <br /> with the new lots being sold for development purposes. <br /> Even with the conversion trends, agriculture is still <br /> important to the northern tier of the Township. During 1987, <br /> ten beef producers, one dairy farm, one hog farm, and one <br /> poultry farm were located in Hillsborough Township. Farm <br /> income from Hillsborough Township comes to about 10% of the <br /> County total, about $2.5 million in 1985. <br /> Natural Environmental Constraints <br /> Hillsborough Township contains four natural environmental <br /> constraints to development activity; floodplains, steep <br /> slopes, water supply watershed, and poor soils. <br /> Floodplains: Floodplains cover 306 acres of the Township <br /> outside the municipal and extraterritorial jurisdiction of <br /> the Town. Areas of flood prone soils account for another 329 <br /> acres. Together, they account for 7% of the land area in the <br /> County's planning jurisdiction. The largest portion of <br /> floodplain/flood prone soils exists along the Eno River. <br /> Other significant areas exist along Cates Creek and Strouds <br /> Creek. <br /> Steep Slopes: Slopes of 15% or greater present a constraint <br /> • <br /> 3.9-6 <br />