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<br /> COMMON GROUND VOL, 12 NO . 2 JANUARY-MARCH 2O01
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<br /> S M A L L
<br /> Only Maine harvests its forests faster than Landowners sell 2 . 6 million acres of timber
<br /> The Conservation Fund they grow in the 33 -million acre region and 1 . 4 million acres of forestland annually
<br /> Vital Statistics known as the Northern Forest . Manufactur- to pay estate taxes . Developers buy 350 ,000
<br /> Land protected by TCF ing jobs in the forest-product sector provide acres annually as a result, says John Greene,
<br /> and partners, 2000 : some of the higher salaries in the region . The a Forest Service researcher . Paying off estate
<br /> Acres protected: 580 ,474 " Northern Forest Wealth Index " ( $ 15, 603 / taxes is one factor driving fragmentation of
<br /> Est. value : $238 ,018,9847 229 - 0679 , www . northernforest . org) , recently private forests in the U . S . , attendees were
<br /> Cumulative land protected, published by the Northern Forest Center, told at the Forest Fragmentation Conference
<br /> 1985-2000, by TCF and brings together data on 39 indicators of re- held in Annapolis , Md . , in September .
<br /> partners : gional wealth in five categories—commu- Among the recommendations to slow frag-
<br /> Acres protected : 2, 858, 151 nity, culture , economy, education and the mentation : Change estate tax rules and other
<br /> Est. value : $ 1 ,329,400, 848 environment . The study attempts to identify government policies that favor development
<br /> TCF ' s three-year average the core assets and values that contribute to over holding land in private forests, and cre-
<br /> fund-raising cost: the region' s overall wealth, or well-being . ate market-based approaches that pay own-
<br /> 2% of total income " The center is a strong believer that long- ers for environmental values produced by
<br /> The Conservation Fund is term conservation depends upon building their forests , e . g . , clean water protection, car-
<br /> a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit understanding and addressing the needs of bon sequestration and air quality improve~
<br /> organization established to people just as much as the needs of nature, " ment . A 389 -page compilation of conference
<br /> advance land and water said Steve Blackmer, the center ' s resident . proceedings is available for $ 50 (attendees ) ,
<br /> conservation in America . p p g ( )
<br /> The Fund is a member of or $ 75 ( others ) from the Sampson Group
<br /> Earth Share and participates The Natural Resources Conservation Ser- (703 / 924-0773 , www . sampsongroup . com) .
<br /> in the Combined Federal vice has issued a revised version of its 1997
<br /> Campaign as #0930 . National Resources Inventory (www .nhq. The state of Pennsylvania has emerged as
<br /> nres . usda . gov / NRI) that cuts by 30 % the a national leader in the implementation of
<br /> ". Earth Share amount of land developed between 1992 and sustainable building practices . The U . S .
<br /> Green Building Council (www . us bc . or
<br /> g)1997 . The original inventorY (see CG 113 ) ,
<br /> released in December 1999, estimated that 16 chose the state ' s first green building, an of-
<br /> Conservation Leadership million acres had been developed in the fice in Harrisburg, as one of the first projects
<br /> Courses 1992-1997 period, or 3 . 2 million acres a year . to receive its LEED certification, which rates
<br /> New figures , which reflect a correction in buildings according to environmental per-
<br /> The Practice of Environ- statistical software, drop the total to 11 . 2 mil- formance . Another Department of Environ-
<br /> mentally Sensitive
<br /> Development, " April 2-3 , lion acres, or 2 . 2 million acres per year . Texas mental Protection building in Ebensburg,
<br /> Chicago, Ill . , and April retains the number 1 ranking in the rate of equipped with a photovoltaic array and an
<br /> 19-20, Washington, D . C . , land development in the 1992-1997 period, advanced air distribution and heating sys-
<br /> 800 / 321 -5011 . at 179,000 acres per year . Georgia ( 170,000 tem, has an energy consumption 60 % below
<br /> " Conservation Options : acres ) , Florida ( 165, 000 acres ) , California the industry standard . Improved energy effi-
<br /> The Land Protection . ( 111 , 000 acres ) and Pennsylvania ( 109, 000 ciency is a key 4': of the Governor ' s Green
<br /> Toolbox," April 1-4, acres ) round out the top five . Government Council because commercial
<br /> Charleston, S . C . , buildings consume 40 % of the nation' s elec -
<br /> 202 / 638-4725 . The New York Parks & Conservation Asso- tricity . " Our next focus is to encourage en-
<br /> " Conservation Easements ciation and the Business Council of New ergy efficient renovations and green school
<br /> Stewardship , " April 20- York State have published a " Greenways buildings, " said James Self, secretary of the
<br /> 22, Shepherdstown, and Trails " brochure , (518 / 434- 1583 , state ' s Department of Environmental Protec-
<br /> W .Va . , 202 / 6384725 . www . nypca . org) that demonstrates the eco- tion and co-chair of the council . Visit www .
<br /> " GIS Overview for Com- nomic benefits of the state ' s 700-mile trail gggc . state . pa . us / building / scrob . html or call
<br /> mun
<br /> Resource Conservation, "
<br /> Con Natural system . Amon their findmi s Three cor o- 717 / 787-4190 for information on the ro -
<br /> servation, " rate leaders in Olean—Cutco Cutlery, Dexter gram or its " Guidelines for Creating High
<br /> Shephererdstdstown, W .Va . ,
<br /> April and Dresser-Rand—contributed $ 10 , 000 each Performance Green Buildings " or " Model
<br /> 919 / 967-22239 to complete the Allegheny River Valley Trail . Green Office Leasing Specifications . "
<br /> " Good recreational facilities are a critical
<br /> part of the mix when recruiting employees, "
<br /> said James Stitt, who heads Cutco . The bro - Beginning with this issue, COMMON
<br /> { chure cites a survey of 4, 000 residents in the GROUND will be published four times a
<br /> Syracuse area that found that bicycling and year—in January, April, July and Octo -
<br /> walking paths are the top priorities for mak- ber—rather than bimonthly .
<br /> I 9
<br /> ng the city a better place to live .
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