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SACRAMENTO – Land use
change in Glenn County in recent years
had more to do with the development of
orchards and wildlife areas than
urbanization, according to a new map
released by the California Department of
Conservation.
While 342 acres were
added to the urban total between 2000
and 2002, more than 4,500 acres of
irrigated agriculture were added,
primarily in the Coast Range and near
Hamilton City. Additions to the Upper
Butte Basin Wildlife Area and other
changes increased nonagricultural uses
by more than 3,800 acres.
The Farmland Mapping
and Monitoring Program (FMMP), part of
DOC's Division of Land Resource
Protection, documents land-use
conversion on 45.8 million acres of
California’s private and public land
every two years. The maps and statistics
are designed to help local governments
evaluate land-use planning decisions.
The 2002 analysis is nearly complete
statewide, while 2004 mapping is
underway.
“This information
helps counties and cities see the
patterns and make informed choices about
how they want to direct growth in the
future,” Department of Conservation
Director Darryl Young said. “The
population of California will continue
to grow, and it’s vital that we ensure
there’s enough room for people and
agriculture.”
The Farmland Mapping
and Monitoring Program classifies land
as either farmland (prime being the best
of four types of farmland), grazing
land, urban land, other land or water.
The “other” category includes
low-density "ranchettes," wetlands, and
brush or timberlands unsuitable for
grazing.
In Glenn County,
according to the most recent FMMP
report, grazing and dry-land
agricultural uses dropped by 8,813 acres
as land was reclassified to either
irrigated categories or “other” land.
More than 75 percent of the newly
irrigated areas did not qualify as prime
farmland. Other land-use changes
primarily were additions to Upper Butte
Basin Wildlife Area, but the map also
captured more detail on the extent of
ranchettes, wetlands, and riparian areas
elsewhere in the county. More than 40
percent of the new urban land occurred
on prime farmland.
Since the 1990 FMMP
survey, Glenn County has gained 680
urbanized acres while 6,667 acres have
been reclassified out of irrigated and
grazing categories.
The agricultural land
in Glenn County will continue to face
development pressure in the future. The
California Department of Finance
projects that the county’s population
will increase from about 26,900 in 2000
to more than 46,000 by 2020.
According to the
California Department of Food and
Agriculture, the gross value of Glenn
County’s agricultural production was
nearly $305 million in 2002.
The maps have been
sent to county planning officials and
organizations such as the county Farm
Bureau, Local Agency Formation
Commission, city planners, irrigation
districts and county resource
conservation districts. Printed copies,
enlargements, or digital versions of the
maps are available to the public. Call
(916) 324-0859 or email
fmmp@consrv.ca.gov for more
information.
The latest statewide
study by the FMMP, Farmland Conversion
Report 1998-2000, was released last
June. More than 91,000 acres were
urbanized throughout the state – a
30-percent increase from the 1996-98
mapping cycle.
Through the
Department of Conservation, the state
offers programs that provide financial
incentives to keep land in agricultural
use. The California Farmland Conservancy
Program makes grants available to local
governments, land trusts or resource
conservation districts to purchase
permanent agricultural conservation
easements from willing landowners. These
easements prohibit future development.
Farmland Security Zone and Williamson
Act contracts provide potential tax
benefits to landowners who commit to
keeping their land in agricultural use
for periods of 20 or 10 years,
respectively.
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