Rural Meets Urban Pierce County s Green Y The Central Puget Sound Region continues to lose agricultural lands and other open space, especially at the urban fringe. Figure 1 provides a stark image of the amount of productive open space that has already been converted to development and its impervious surfaces. This conversion comes at great cost to the resilience and health of our communities, environment, and economy. The Regional Open Space Strategy (ROSS) has identified the Puyallup Green Y as a critical confluence of development and open space preservation. The Green Y is a critical 17,939 acre area at the intersection of the White and Puyallup Rivers, see Figure 2. Only few short miles from downtown Tacoma and located amidst high density urban development, the Green Y is a mix of open space, agricultural lands, and developed parcels a living laboratory for creating policies and making investments to protect and reconnect urban and rural landscapes and communities. Figure 1. Central Puget Sound Land Cover With forecast population growth and accelerating climate change, protecting and enhancing diverse areas like the Green Y is fundamental to the long-term social, economic and environmental resilience of the county. Perhaps even more valuable, restoration and stewardship successes within the Green Y can serve as models throughout the state and nation. 1
Figure 2. The Green Y Geography 2
Table 1. Land Cover with Green Y (2011) Land Cover Acres % Forest Wetlands Shrub and Grasslands Deciduous Forest 272 Evergreen Forest 89 4% Mixed Forest 407 Emergent Herbaceous Wetlands 150 3% Woody Wetlands 305 Shrub/Scrub 316 Grasslands 273 Hay/Pasture 2,659 26% Cultivated Crops 1,439 Open Water Open Water 239 1% Developed and Barren Developed, Open Space 1,871 Developed, Low Intensity 4,274 Developed, Medium Intensity 3,666 Developed, High Intensity 1,857 Barren Land 121 66% This report summarizes the ways in which agricultural lands and businesses contribute to the longterm health and resilience of the surrounding communities. Agriculture is not just about food production; areas like the Green Y, especially those that have survived development pressures, can support tourism, preserve critical elements of culture and community, and provide many environmental benefits like stormwater damage mitigation and water management. This is the first effort to identify and value the many benefits of the Green Y s agricultural lands. Green Y Agriculture Today Though statewide agricultural acreage has been in decline with some 45,000 acres lost annually across the state in recent years, the Green Y remains an important provider of high quality agricultural products in Pierce County. Though much diminished today, this area has long been a regional center for agricultural activity due to the fine soils, comprised of silt and sand, that were deposited during the historic meandering and regular flooding of the Puyallup River. Today, the valley 3
leads Washington State in the production of cabbage, lettuce, green onion, radishes and other vegetables, berry fruits and nursery plants. 1 Agriculture in Green Y is an important economic driver for Pierce County as a whole. These small, local farms produce approximately $7 million in goods each year. Table 2. Green Y Crop Values 2 Crop Type Acreage Total Value per Year Seeds, Grass Seeds, Hay 322 $32,695 Vegetables 773 $3,192,352 Fruits and Nuts 7 $35,374 Berries 243 $1,515,707 Christmas Tree 188 $276,878 Nursery 126 $185,584 Floriculture and Bedding 154 Not available Other Crops 819 $1,698,930 Total 2,632 $6,937,519 Agriculture and Agricultural Lands Provide Many Benefits Beyond the value of the crops detailed above, local agricultural lands provide many co-benefits, some easy to quantify and value in dollars and others obvious but harder to monetize. Farm-Consumer Connection: As evidenced by the rapidly expanding number of farmers markets and consumer supported agriculture (CSA) programs throughout Central Puget Sound, consumers crave a connection with producers of their food. There are over 200 acres of farmland in the Puyallup valley dedicated to CSAs with products including vegetables, berries, eggs, and pigs. Wild Hare Organic Farm, Zestful Gardens, and Tahoma Farms are just a few of the Puyallup Valley family farms. Tradition: Puyallup, Snohomish, Skagit values represent a rich history of farming over the past 100 years preservation of local farms helps to preserve and extend this tradition. Recently Terry s Berries was passed down to Wild Hare Organic Farm, continuing a commitment to organic farming in Pierce County that started more than 30 years ago. 2 Food Quality: Due to reduced farm-to-table transit time, local farms tend to produce higher quality Photo Source 4
products with longer shelf life, while using fewer resources for food transport and storage. 3 Jobs and Training: Many agencies, non-profits, and trade groups are striving to engage a new generation of farmers in the trade. Working farms near urban centers provide great opportunities for these programs. The Pierce Conservation District, the Washington State University Small Farms Team Educational Programs (i.e. Cultivating Success, Agriculture Certificate, Farm Walks), and the Tilth Producers of Washington are all working towards educating Pierce County residents about farming. Local Spending on Services: Local agricultural dollars often stay in the community supporting restaurants, grocery stores, equipment suppliers and many other local businesses. Habitat Corridor: Agricultural lands provide refuge and transit for local animals to move through the area. Open Space Services: Detailed below, working lands provide many economically valuable benefits in the form of stormwater damage mitigation, water management, and aesthetic value. Together, these benefits help to strengthen the surrounding community, economy, and environment. Many government and non-profit groups are now focused on the benefits and opportunities offered by areas like the Green Y. The Agricultural Strategic Plan and county community plans build upon the historical practices and natural attributes of the county by strengthening the agricultural industry through policies, programs, and actions aimed at raising the income of the farmer while reducing the costs and barriers to farming. 4 American Farmland Trust (AFT) is dedicated to increasing funding and development of farms in Washington State. In 2014, AFT pushed funding in Washington State from $700,000 to $5.3 million. In 2015, AFT advocated for funding from Washington State legislators totaling over $33 million. 5 Open Space Services Provided by Green Y Agricultural Land Open space services are defined as the benefits that people derive from nature. Though clearly different than pristine ecosystems, agricultural lands still provide many benefits to the local community and economy. As an example, agricultural land provides an aesthetic value (people typically like to look at open space and farms rather than buildings and pavement) and disaster mitigation (slowing the flow and reducing damage of flood waters.) 5
Using a technique called the benefits transfer method, a number of comparable, published, peerreviewed studies of the open space service values from around the country/world were used to estimate the value of land in the Green Y. Though these numbers are not perfect, they clearly demonstrate that these working lands have substantial value and provide a wide range of open space services that bolster the local economy. These services are real and would have to be replaced at substantial expense if the productive acres are converted to developed lands. Table 3 shows the Open Space Services evaluated and the range of values appropriate to the Green Y. The range represents both variation in findings within the published literature and natural variation based on local conditions at the original study sites. For example, disaster mitigation results for agricultural land may vary depending on the specific crops, management techniques, and local environmental conditions. Table 3. Annual Open Space Service Values within Green Y Agriculture Per Acre Per Year Value Total Value Per Year Open Space Services Acres Low High Low High Aesthetic $0.35 $75.18 $504 $108,184 Air $34.50 $34.50 $49,646 $49,646 Waste $23.45 $77.64 $33,745 $111,724 Shelter $0.14 $3.19 $201 $4,590 Play $2.67 $26.76 1,439 $3,842 $38,508 Disaster Mitigation $25.32 $119.68 $36,435 $172,220 Pollination $29.07 $129.40 $41,832 $186,207 Water $41.40 $41.40 $59,575 $59,575 Totals $156.90 $507.75 $225,779 $730,652 *Certain agricultural activities negatively impact soil erosion The open space service values provide an estimate of the yearly income or the annual flow of benefits provided to the local economy from agricultural lands. This would be like the value of annual rent paid for for a house. Considering this value across time provides the ability to appraise the full value of an asset (again, like the appraised value of a house). The net present value is a critical measure of the overall magnitude of any economic asset. This is not the intrinsic value of open space. It is an estimate of the value of open space as an economic asset. It provides an idea of the critical role open space provides in the economy. 6
Table 4. Net Present Value of Today s Green Y Agricultural Land over 100 Years at 0% and 3.5% Discount Rates Total Asset Value (0%) Total Asset Value (3.5%) Low High Low High $23M $73M $6M $31M Preservation: Time is of the Essence Development pressure is converting Green Y agricultural lands at a rapid pace. Of the 200 acres, defined as priority agriculture by Pierce County Open Space Task Force, over 18% has been converted to developed land, mostly low and medium intensity development, since 2001 (Table 5.) Each lost acre represents not only a decrease in open space service contributions to the local economy but also, and perhaps more importantly, an increase in many of the factors that already impact our communities and economy including increased stormwater runoff and flooding due to impervious surfaces, reduced or fragmented wildlife habitat, decreased carbon sequestration, poorer air quality and more. These losses are real. Table 5. Priority Cultivated Land Loss since 2001 (%) NLCD Land Cover Type Acres Developed, Open Space 2.40% Developed, Low Intensity 6.85% Developed, Medium Intensity 7.18% Developed, High Intensity 1.71% Total 18.14% 7
Figure 3 shows where priority agriculture exists, while Figure 4 shows where these areas were converted to developed lands, or impervious surface, from 2001 to 2011. Figure 3. Parcels Lost to Development Figure 4. Priority Agricultural Land Resilience and Community The benefits of agricultural lands in the Green Y are many. The stakeholders including the county, farmers, local residents, business, and non-profit organizations have an outstanding opportunity to redefine this area and build the incentives and funding streams needed to secure its place as a longterm and critical component of economic, environmental, and community resilience for the area. With collaboration and targeted effort through programs like incentives for agricultural best practices, support for agritourism, and local food distribution, the full value of this powerful resource can be realized. 1 Barney & Worth, Inc., Globalwise, Inc., 2006. Preserving Farmland and Farmers: Pierce County Agriculture Strategic Plan, Summary Report. Prepared for the Pierce County Economic Development Division. 2 http://terrysberries.com/ 3 Pirog, R.S. et al. (2001). Food, Fuel, and Freeways: An Iowa Perspective on how far food travels, fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. Iowa State University: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. 4 Pierce County Parks and Recreation. 2011. Pierce County Open Space Task Force. 5 American Farmland Trust: Pacific Northwest Updates. https://www.farmland.org/our-work/where-we-work/pacificnorthwest/posts/2015-washington-state-legislative-outcomes 107 N. Tacoma Avenue T 253 539 4801 Tacoma, WA 98403 F 253 539 5054 eartheconomics.org 8