The Local Path to Preserving 30% of the Land by 2030: The Case of Vermont

Ten US states and dozens of countries have adopted a goal of preserving 30 percent of their land and water resources by 2030. The US 30 × 30 effort seeks to permanently protect wildlife habitats, provide recreation opportunities, mitigate climate change, and avoid the fragmentation of natural areas and working farms and forestlands. Yet very little research exists on the practice of how to achieve 30 × 30. In 2023, the State of Vermont passed legislation setting 30 × 30 and 50 × 50 as goals. Because Vermont is heavily forested, the preservation of forestland is key to reaching its goals. The fragmentation and parcelization of forests both degrade the forest ecology and reduce the attractiveness for preservation. Land preservation for 30 x 30 involves the availability of large parcels for preservation as well as adequate funding. For land availability, no studies have yet analyzed the local land use tools that can support achieving the 30% land preservation goal. This study fills that gap by analyzing the interaction among use-value property taxation, local zoning, land parcelization activity, and land preservation in 12 forested Vermont towns. Findings show considerable benefit from use-value property taxation, limited benefit from natural resource conservation zoning as practiced in Vermont, and a wide variation in the amount of land preserved. We also found little change in the number of large parcels pre- and post-COVID-19 but some continued land fragmentation among smaller parcels. Dedicated funding for land preservation together with the sustainable management of forests will be essential steps toward effective preservation in any forested region over the long run.