The soil beneath our feet is one of the most complex and often overlooked ecosystems. Forests, meadows, and wetlands, among other habitats, all exist because of the soil they grow on, and the soil’s unique contents. Soil contains a variable mixture of parent material (the underlying geological matter from which soils form), organic matter, gases, water, organisms, and minerals. No two soils are truly the same; even soils just a few feet apart can differ.
Three minerals–sand, silt, and clay–are the foremost factors in soil classification and are important determinants for the types of species that can thrive in the soil. Wareham’s own pitch pine thrives in sandy, acidic soils–soils that many other tree species cannot tolerate. Similarly, Common Milkweed is an adaptable, drought-resistant species that prefers well-drained soil. Likewise, cranberries need sandy, acidic soil above a layer of peat.
Healthy soil is also the foundation of our food system, providing 98.8% of our food. As the population continues to grow, scientists and governments are looking for ways to protect soil and keep it healthy and farmable. Farmland classification helps this initiative by identifying and categorizing soils with the highest likelihood of crop production based on their physical and chemical attributes. State and federal agencies working together have identified three key land classifications for this purpose: Prime Farmland, land best suited for agriculture as defined by its soil and climatic properties; Unique Farmland, land well-suited for specific crop production; and Farmland of Statewide Importance, land suited for production, but lacking in some of the criteria for prime classification. These designations are not just titles—they influence the protection possibilities for these lands by providing opportunities for conservation easements.
Given the importance of recognizing and conserving these valuable farmlands, a new category has been created: Farmland of Local Importance (FLI). This category recognizes land that is suited for production but lacks the soil properties required to meet national or statewide criteria. This designation is granted through a review of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) soil survey mapping, alongside current and historical land-use information.
Al Averill is a certified professional soil scientist who has been working on getting eligible parcels designated as FLI. When I asked him for more info on the classification, he said: “The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) manages the Agricultural Conservation Easements Program. It has two parts […] Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE) helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities such as state and local governments, protect croplands on working farms by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land through conservation easements. If landowners want to see their land preserved for agriculture, and the land qualifies, then the landowner is paid the development value, less the agricultural value, in exchange for an easement that ensures the agricultural capacity is not compromised by some other future land use.“Wetlands Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE) helps landowners protect, restore and enhance wetlands which have been previously degraded due to agricultural uses. This program is active in southeastern MA, restoring wetlands that were in cranberry production.”
These programs are a partnership where the NRCS provides 50% of the easement cost and the partner, a land trust or, more commonly in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, provides the rest. To be eligible, the program requires that a parcel be more than 50% important farmland. The recognition of Farmland of Local Importance allows more partners to reach eligibility for the program, subsequently allowing for greater opportunities for greater protection.
For Wareham, a town with sandy soils left behind by the Laurentide ice sheet, Averill estimates that there are approximately 120 acres that qualify as FLI, mainly comprising cranberry bogs, but also including some non-bog areas as well. The designation of FLI requires the NRCS State Conservationist for Massachusetts and a local official to sign off.
Joining the other 130 towns in Massachusetts with a Farmland of Local Importance designation would be another great step for Wareham. This simple process comes at no cost, higher workload, or regulatory implications to the municipality, and only opens up the door for more opportunities for environmental protection. As Averill says, “it does no harm to recognize it. Even if a parcel is already comprised of at least 50% important farmland soils, increasing the extent may help with ranking during years of limited funding.”
By Erica Judd