Working Lands
Credit: Arna Johnson
The nation's farms, ranches, and forests yield food and timber, support local economies, safeguard clean water, and comprise some of our most beautiful landscapes. A working landscape may be a Western forest of tens of thousands of acres, an emerald mosaic of ranchland in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, or the last farm in a New England town, supplying healthy food while linking the community to its rural past.
Such lands are too important to be lost to poorly planned development. The Trust for Public Land works with landowners, agencies, and communities to keep working lands working while preserving their environmental benefits—often through the use of conservation easements that prevent development while permitting ranching, farming, and sustainable forestry to continue. The result: lands that continue to support our bodies, industries, spirits, and communities, and foster a healthy, vibrant agricultural system.
Explore some of our working lands projects below. Choose a state to get started.
Albany Town Forest
The Town of Albany worked with The Trust for Public Land to create a 300-acre town forest on the eastern edge of the White Mountain National Forest. read more »Anderson Ranch
In 2005, The Trust for Public Land protected the 1,760-acre Anderson Ranch in Gallatin County. read more »Arcata Community Forest
Established in 1956, Arcata's community forest is the oldest city-owned community forest west of the Rockies. read more »Black Duck Cove
In 2006, TPL acquired an option on an eight-acre former lobster pound at Black Duck Cove that will be used for applied marine research, a public hatchery, a business incubator and a marine education facility. read more », spirits, and communities and foster a healthy, vibrant agricultural system.
