AGRICULTURE
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
East Oregonian
A11
Study calls for smarter land use planning to curb farmland loss
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
BELLINGHAM, Wash.
— The Pacific Northwest
stands to lose more than half
a million acres of farmland to
urban sprawl by 2040 unless
cities make smarter develop-
ment choices, according to a
new report by the American
Farmland Trust.
The report, “Farms Under
Threat 2040: Choosing an
Abundant Future,” also high-
lights threats to farmland by
rising sea levels due to climate
change, and the accelerated
expansion of solar projects
needed to meet zero-carbon
energy mandates.
Addie Candib, North-
west regional director for the
American Farmland Trust
in Oregon, Washington and
Idaho, said the findings are
part of a multi-year effort to
come up with solutions for
preserving farmland nation-
wide.
“In order to be effective,
we needed to have good data
about what was happening to
farmland,” Candib said.
Other partners in the
“Farms Under Threat”
program include the USDA
Natural Resources Conser-
vation Service, Conserva-
Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press, File
Barns stand on farmland with Mount Adams in the background in Washington. A new report
from the American Farmland Trust argues the Pacific Northwest stands to lose more than
500,000 acres of farmland to urban sprawl by 2040.
tion Science Partners and the
University of Wisconsin-Mad-
ison’s Center for Sustainability
and the Global Environment.
The initiative, Candib said,
is “really an effort to quantify
and map where farmland loss
is occurring, and provide some
policy recommendations.”
Losing farmland
Between 2000 and 2016
alone, Candib said, roughly
11 million acres of farmland
has been lost or fragmented by
development.
Across the Northwest, as
many as 527,185 acres of addi-
tional farmland may be lost to
urban and low-density resi-
dential development by 2040
— particularly around rapidly
growing metro areas around
the Puget Sound, Portland,
Spokane and Boise.
Washington would be
the hardest-hit state, losing
238,614 acres of farmland
under the worst-case scenario.
That is an area roughly 4 ½
times the size of Seattle.
Oregon would lose up to
142,267 acres of farmland,
while Idaho would lose up to
146,304 acres.
“What we know is that this
conversion will disproportion-
ately impact our most produc-
tive, versatile and resilient
land,” Candib said.
While the expansion
of highly developed urban
areas is a concern, Candib
also pointed to low-density
residential housing as “a big
piece of the problem.” Unlike
highly developed urban areas,
low-density residential hous-
ing exists more on a spec-
trum, ranging from large-lot
subdivisions to a few scattered
homes encroaching on farm-
land.
Once an area goes from
completely rural to low-den-
sity residential, Candib said it
is exponentially more likely to
become further developed.
“As residential develop-
ment starts to populate out into
rural areas in an unplanned or
unchecked way, it makes it
harder for farmers to farm,”
she said. “Over time, it can
make it difficult for farmers to
see a future for themselves in
that area. As folks give up ...
that’s where that land becomes
particularly vulnerable.”
Three scenarios
The report outlines three
scenarios to envision how
urban and low-density residen-
tial development may impact
farmland by 2040.
The first is “business
as usual,” which follows
recent development trends.
“Runaway sprawl” is the
worst-case scenario, which
forecasts a 50% increase in
low-density building.
Finally, there is what
American Farmland Trust
calls “better built cities,”
which calls for policymakers
and land use planners to target
a 25% reduction in highly
developed urban expansion
and 50% reduction in low-den-
sity residential development.
Under the latter, Candib
said Washington, Oregon and
Idaho can save an estimated
280,800 combined acres of
farmland, representing $206
million in farm output and
7,382 jobs.
“We really need to invest
in urban density and limit the
expansion of urban growth
boundaries,” Candib said.
In its policy recommenda-
tions, the American Farmland
Trust calls on local, state and
federal governments to create
comprehensive plans that
prioritize farmland protection
and “smart growth” strategies
condensing urban develop-
ment.
States should also invest in
programs to improve training
and land access for new and
beginning farmers, Candib
said.
“The best way to protect a
farm is to make sure it stays
farming,” she said.
Invasive emerald ash borer found in Oregon — first sighting on West Coast
By SIERRA DAWN
MCCLAIN
Capital Press
FOREST GROVE — The
emerald ash borer, an inva-
sive wood-boring beetle that
infests and kills North Amer-
ican ash trees, has been found
in Oregon.
The discovery was the
first known sighting on the
West Coast, according to
Oregon Department of Agri-
culture.
The beetle was found
June 30 by Dominic Maze,
an invasive species biologist
for the city of Portland.
Maze was in Forest Grove,
waiting to pick his children
up from summer camp,
when he noticed several
unhealthy-looking ash trees.
Upon closer examination, he
recognized the distinctive
D-shaped holes that adult
emerald ash borers make as
they exit an infested tree.
“When my kids arrived, I
asked them to look for adult
beetles,” Maze said. “My son
promptly found one crawling
on him. Knowing how many
millions of ash trees across
the country these beetles
have killed, I felt like I was
going to throw up.”
Maze was rightly worried.
The notorious emerald ash
borer — native to Asia — has
left widespread destruction
Oregon Department of Agriculture/Contributed Photo
This photo shows an adult emerald ash borer. The invasive
wood-boring beetle that infests and kills North American
ash trees has been found in Oregon.
in its path across the U.S., so
its arrival on the West Coast
concerns biologists. ODA
calls the emerald ash borer
the most destructive forest
pest in North America.
According to a 2022
study in the academic jour-
nal Sustainability, since it
was first found near Detroit,
Michigan, in 2002, the beetle
has killed more than 8 billion
native ash trees.
The beetles have infested
much of Canada and the
U.S., spreading out from the
Midwest.
Native North American
ash trees are not resistant to
emerald ash borers, so nearly
all infected trees will prema-
turely die if left untreated.
Ash trees are an important
part of ecosystems nation-
wide, and when they die,
there are ripple effects.
According to the Univer-
sity of Illinois Extension
Service, the death of ash trees
reduces property values for
homeowners, creates losses
in timber, reduces important
wildlife habitat, increases
heating and cooling costs and
increases stormwater runoff.
Researchers estimate it
would cost billions of dollars
to replace lost ash trees in just
the Midwest alone, where
many trees have already died.
State officials say Maze
played a crucial role in alert-
ing the state to his discov-
ery so that agencies can try
to track and curb the beetle’s
spread.
After finding the emerald
ash borer in Forest Grove,
Maze immediately called
the Oregon Department of
Forestry’s Forest Health Unit
to report the sighting.
FIELD TEST Candidates Wanted
URGENT NOTICE: You may be qualified to participate in a special Field
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We are looking for additional candidates in the Hermiston, Pendleton and the surounding areas.
HERMISTON:
Suite B,
B, Hermiston,
Hermiston, OR
OR 97838
97838 • • 541-716-5092
541-716-5092
HERMISTON: 955
955 SE
SE 4th
4th St.
St Suite
PENDLETON:
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Ave. 6, Pendleton
PENDLETON: 29
125
SE Court Dorian
Ave. Suite
Pendleton, OR
OR 97801
97801 • • 541-224-8661
541-224-8661
EXPIRATION DATE
July 25, 8,
2022
November
2019
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22JulField
Mention Code: 19AugField.
2) You will be required to have your hearing tested in our
office, FREE OF CHARGE, to determine candidacy.
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first-served basis so please call us TODAY to secure
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receive a FREE $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card* as a token
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22JulField
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gift card may be used toward the purchase of food at participating restaurants where a minimum purchase may also be required. See restaurant.com for details. Not redeemable for cash.
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