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Each year North Carolina loses 100 ,000 acres to population pressures . Timber companies are selling large tracts of land . The break-up of the tobacco industry is forcing many farmers to make tough choices about farming or selling their land . For the first time since the 1930s , forest acreage is down, and according to the latest survey, North Carolina is losing more prime farmland than any other state except Texas and Ohio . Once those acres are lost, they are gone forever. There are no second chances . There is some funding in place , but nowhere near the amount we need to keep up . Every year it becomes harder and more expensive to protect the state' s special places . We must act now. How much money would be needed ? Saving the Goodliest Land recommends that the state spend an additional $200 million annually for five years on conservation projects . How would that money be spent? The money would be spent to protect nine different land types . These include : o Stream banks and floodplains o Working farms o Working and urban forests o Local parks and recreation o State parks o Game lands o Historic places o Land visible from scenic highways For farmland and forests , the money would primarily be spent on conservation agreements . The landowners agree to continue their existing use of the property rather than develop it and they are paid for the value of agreeing to those restrictions . For parks and game lands , the money would be used to purchase property. For stream banks and natural areas , the money may be used for a combination of agreements and purchases . Why is protecting and preserving critical land important? Protecting and preserving critical land provides for the following: o Protecting drinking water quality o Farming and forests o Hunting and fishing o Exercise and enjoyment o Health and safety o Historic, ecological and economic value o Preserving our heritage o Strengthening our communities o Jobs and a healthy environment