Landowner Incentives

Program Open Space, established in 1969 by the Maryland General Assembly, is funded through the state's real estate transfer tax. This ensures that funding for state land acquisition and local parks keeps pace with development. POS transfer tax revenues are divided between POS Local (for local jurisdictions) and POS Stateside (for state land acquisitions). POS has predominantly facilitated fee simple interests in natural resource lands, although it can also be used for easements.

The Rural Legacy Program, established in 1997, aims to safeguard large, contiguous blocks of rural land while enhancing agricultural, natural, cultural, and forest resources. It operates through a community-driven process, with local governments, private land trusts, and interest groups nominating Rural Legacy Areas (RLAs) eligible for funding. These nominated areas must meet legislatively designated criteria, including the significance of resources, the threat from development pressure, and economic value.

Established in 1967 as a quasi-independent unit of the DNR, MET is dedicated to preserving forests and farmland through donated conservation easements. In 2012, MET expanded its scope to include easements on urban open spaces with significant environmental and public health benefits.

Created in 1977, MALPF's mission is to preserve prime farmland and forestland. It operates through a board of trustees, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, and local advisory boards in each county. Landowners apply for MALPF based on size and soil characteristics, and the application process is competitive.

Enacted in the 1990s and revised in 2023, the FCA mandates developers to mitigate forest cover loss during land use changes. Mitigation methods include permanent forest cover protection and priority reforestation on or off-site.

FCMA enables legal agreements between landowners and DNR. Landowners commit to managing their forests as per written stewardship plans for at least 15 years. In return, property tax assessments on forested lands are significantly reduced and remain frozen during the agreement, with penalties for non-compliance.

WAP offers preservation incentives similar to FCMA but without fixed timeframes or enrollment fees, although the assessment rate reductions are not as substantial as FCMA.

In addition to these programs, the Maryland Forest Service provides technical assistance and cost-share programs to assist forest landowners in achieving their objectives, such as the Forest Stewardship Program, Mel Noland Woodland Incentive Program (WIP), and the Income Tax Modification Program (TaxMod).

Maryland's county governments are national leaders in land conservation, having protected nearly 185,000 acres of agricultural land and woodlands through mechanisms like purchasing or transferring development rights, resulting in permanent easements. They work closely with state agencies such as the Maryland Environmental Trust, DNR, and MDA to coordinate and match state-funded land preservation programs with local resources and initiatives.