This report documents results from a regional assessment of over 1,300 ecosystem service provisioning programs and policies across the U.S. Northeast, in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia as well as in the District of Columbia. The assessment describes the programs' institutional arrangements, their incentive structures, and the ecosystem services they provide. The analysis was grounded in four overarching goals for the Northeast region named in the RFP by the Association of Northeast Extension Directors (NEED) and Northeastern Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors).
Attribution | 2 |
Table of Contents | 3 |
Advisory Group And Acknowledgments | 5 |
Executive Summary | 6 |
Part 1: Project Overview | 8 |
1.1 Research Objectives | 8 |
1.2 Scope of Work | 8 |
Part 2: Introduction | 10 |
2.1 Background | 10 |
2.2 The U.S. Northeast in an Age of Uncertainty | 10 |
2.3 From Ecosystem Services to Managing Multifunctional & Multiscalar Landscapes | 12 |
Part 3: Methods | 14 |
3.1 Overview | 14 |
3.2 Guiding Concepts and Definitions | 16 |
3.2.1 Ecosystem functions and services | 16 |
3.2.2 Working lands and producers/managers | 19 |
3.2.3 Incentive or finance mechanisms | 20 |
Part 4: Results | 21 |
4.1 Overview | 21 |
4.2 Farming, Food, And Agriculture | 23 |
4.2.1 Programs for Producers/Businesses | 23 |
4.2.1.1 Access to cash, land, and tools/machinery | 23 |
4.2.1.2 Farmer training across career stages | 26 |
4.2.1.3 Certified practices regulate detrimental organisms | 27 |
4.2.1.4 New frontiers: carbon sequestration | 28 |
4.2.2 Programs for Supporting Institutions | 28 |
4.2.2.1 Production of specialty crops and “foodsheds” | 30 |
4.2.2.2 Food production in schools and cities | 30 |
4.2.3 Review of Funding/Program Organizations | 31 |
4.2.4 Opportunities to Expand Market Presence | 32 |
4.3 Working Forests and Woodlands | 33 |
4.3.1 Programs for Producers/ Businesses | 33 |
4.3.1.1 Sustaining habitat for family forests and working woodlands | 33 |
4.3.1.2 Assistance for reforestation programs | 36 |
4.3.1.3 Producing material goods | 36 |
4.3.2 Programs for Supporting Institutions | 36 |
4.3.2.1 Improving forest health | 36 |
4.3.2.3 Supporting forest plans | 37 |
4.3.3 Review of Funding/Program Organizations | 37 |
4.3.4 Opportunities to Expand Market Presence | 40 |
4.4 Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Shellfish Operations | 41 |
4.4.1 Programs for Producers/Businesses | 41 |
4.4.1.1 Food production and operations | 41 |
4.4.2 Programs for Supporting Institutions | 43 |
4.4.2.1 Healthy aquatic habitats | 43 |
4.4.3 Review of Funding/Program Organizations | 45 |
4.4.4 Opportunities to Expand Market Presence | 46 |
4.5 Supporting Landscapes and Systems | 46 |
4.5.1 Programs for Producers/Businesses | 46 |
4.5.1.1 PES and land protection restore wildlife habitat | 46 |
4.5.1.2 Nutrient trading and household rebates serve water quality/quantity concerns | 47 |
4.5.1.3 Multilevel incentive structures and access to capital | 49 |
4.5.2 Programs for Supporting Institutions | 49 |
4.5.2.1 Land acquisition to sustain water quality and quantity | 49 |
4.5.2.2 State grants support public access to parks and trails | 50 |
4.5.2.3 Loans and grants to regulate present, recurring, and future hazards | 50 |
4.5.2.4 Experiential professional development builds local capacity | 51 |
4.5.3 Review of Funding/Program Opportunities | 51 |
4.5.4 Opportunities to expand market presence | 52 |
4.6 Summary by Region and State | 53 |
4.6.1 Areas of regional significance | 53 |
4.6.1.1 Programs for food production | 53 |
4.6.1.2 Interstate watershed improvement programs | 55 |
4.6.1.3 Technical assistance and job training programs | 57 |
4.6.2 State Summaries | 58 |
Part 5: Conclusions and Recommendations | 59 |
5.1 Increasing farm profitability and sustainability | 61 |
5.2 Positioning agriculture and forestry as primary leaders in mitigating climate change | 63 |
5.3 Building resiliency of rural and urban communities | 67 |
5.4 Increasing the appeal of agricultural professions to a wide range of young people | 69 |
References | 72 |
Appendix | 75 |
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