UMass Extension Public Issues

A Five-year Plan for Addressing:

Natural Resource-based Economic Development

Summary/Description

Massachusetts relies on its forests, soils, waters, and scenic landscapes to provide employment, income, natural resource products, recreational opportunities; tourism and ecosystem services that meet its citizens’ needs and drive its local economies. Maintaining a healthy local economy is a major concern for many communities in Massachusetts and the value of their natural resources serves as a major incentive for their conservation. Natural resource based businesses (agriculture, equine industries, forest based businesses, fishing, shellfish, outdoor recreation and tourism, horticultural green industries, and turf) can have a substantial, positive impact on the health of local economies and are important tools for helping to maintain open space. UMass Extension will support natural resource based businesses through research, education and informed policy for the benefit of the entire commonwealth.

Situation and Priorities

Massachusetts is a diverse and rapidly developing state, rich in natural resources. According to the MA Department of Agricultural Services, Massachusetts has 6,100 farms with a total of 518,570 acres. Massachusetts forests provide ecosystem services including climate regulation, freshwater supply, stormwater mitigation, nutrient regulation, biodiversity, soil retention and aesthetics valued at $2.9 billion according to Mass Audubon (2003). Other natural resource based businesses contribute to the economic vitality and the quality and esthetic character of life in Massachusetts. According to UMass Extension, nearly 4,000 golf courses and athletic fields in Massachusetts encompass nearly 60,000 acres of land while ornamental horticultural has 4,250 businesses encompassing about 79,000 acres.

Every day Massachusetts loses over 40 acres of open space (Mass Audubon, 2003). Farmland in Massachusetts, for example, has decreased 10% from 1997 through 2002. In addition, Massachusetts is home to some of the most archaic land use laws in the country, which can encourage suburban sprawl that has a negative impact on natural resource based businesses. There are 46,554 non-industrial, private landowners in MA with land of 10 acres or more who own 2.2 million acres, accounting for 86% of the state’s forests (UMass 2006). The average age of these forest landowners is approximately 60 years (Kittredge). A significant portion of this land will be transferring ownership or generations over the coming years. Finally, a range of competing interests threatens to limit access to our rich aquaculture resources.

Natural resource based economic development provides an opportunity to preserve community character, while providing economic development and other critical public benefits to current and future generations. The University of Massachusetts serves a primary role in delivering education to target audiences, informing policy decisions, and generating applied research critical to the health of natural resource based businesses in Massachusetts and their associated public benefits.

UMass Extension has identified the following priorities for addressing Natural Resource based Economic Development (NRBED) in Massachusetts:

Land and water (marine and inland) resources are permanently protected to ensure the future of NRBED and the many public benefits they provide.
The loss of working farms and forests is a high priority threat to NRBED and the public benefits that these lands provide. It is critical that prime land and water resources in Massachusetts are preserved to sustain diverse types of economically viable natural resource based businesses now and in the future. Without an appropriate amount and type of land and water resources, the future of these businesses is highly uncertain. Natural resource based businesses are also diverse producers of public benefit, i.e., products, open space, clean water and scenic backdrops. NRBED can help conserve open spaces by providing income to those landowners who are responsible for the carrying costs of the property.
Natural resource based businesses are economically viable.
They will need to develop and maintain operations resilient to changing economic, ecologic and social conditions of Massachusetts.
Natural resource based businesses are ecologically sustainable.
Massachusetts is the third most densely populated state in the nation. The citizens of the Commonwealth depend on the full range of public benefits that our natural resources provide, including clean water, clean air, and carbon sequestration. Reducing environmental impacts will also help ensure that future generations will have healthy, productive land and water to work.
Increased economic growth of natural resource based businesses in areas where they are best suited based on environmental, economic, social and political factors.
NRBED is most critical in areas of the state in which economic development is needed and natural resources lend themselves to sustaining, establishing or expanding these businesses. Even though natural resource based businesses may occur to different degrees in all regions of the state, the benefits of these businesses are felt throughout the Commonwealth by providing products of necessity, ecosystem services, safe and healthy food, and scenic landscapes.
Helping natural resource based businesses in Massachusetts to meet a greater amount of the Commonwealth’s product needs.
According to the MA Department of Agriculture, the Commonwealth currently produces 32% of its own food needs (1% in poultry, 1.3% in meat, 11.2% in eggs, 14.6% in dairy, 33.1% in vegetables, 64.9% in fruits, 196.3% in seafood and aquaculture). Despite being the eighth most forested state in the country (proportionally), Massachusetts only meets 2% of its wood needs (Harvard Forest 2002). Increasing in-state production will help maximize benefit to local economies by encouraging value-added production and vertical integration of businesses. In-state production can also bring fresher, healthier products to consumers.

Goals

Stronger Local Economies - Natural and human resources will be managed or cultivated in ways that support strong local economies
Enhanced Health and Productivity of Natural Resources and Ecosystems - The quality of land, water, plant, animal, and biodiversity resources will be protected and enhanced, and healthy self-sustaining ecosystems maintained.

Public Issues