In many landscapes of the United States, landowners navigate a delicate balance between preserving ecosystem integrity and reaping economic rewards. In my experience, with this interplay between ecology and economy, the finances most often tip the scales in their direction at the expense of the ecosystems. Understanding this, many organizations both private and public are putting their financial resources up for grabs to landowners who are willing to manage their lands for the public benefits that conservation practices provide. One company has stepped forward to help you learn how to make money off your land and make getting started with that process easier than ever before.
What Is Natural Capital?
According to Wikipedia, natural capital is defined as “the world’s stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. Some natural capital assets provide people with free goods and services, often called ecosystem services. Natural capital is a concept central to the economic assessment of ecosystem services valuation, which revolves around the idea that non-human life produces goods and services that are essential to life. Thus, natural capital is essential to the sustainability of the economy.”
How To Make Money Off Your Land With Natural Capital
Zack Parisa is a product of the beautiful and diverse landscapes of North Alabama. A registered Forester, Zack first saw an opportunity to help landowners receive income through the various Forestry land management assistance programs that are available. Taking this a step further, Zack founded the Natural Capital Exchange to combine the various public and private land management assistance programs available to landowners into one platform. The goal? Make it easier for landowners of all sizes to determine their eligibility for these programs, apply for them, and ultimately receive funding to complete these practices on their properties. NCX.com emerged from this desire. As a user, I can attest that this growing platform makes the previously arduous process incredibly easy.
Where Does The Money Come From?
The funding for these natural capital programs comes from the governments, non-profits, and businesses that all have committed to environmental sustainability. Heck, even Taylor Swift is offsetting her private jet’s carbon footprint. What this means for landowners is there is a growing economy that is allowing landowners to earn income that doesn’t necessarily require them to extract any of the natural resources from their property.
How Can I Make Money With My Land?
How you can make money with your land is dependent on many factors. At the time of this writing, NCX.com has 80+ programs that pay landowners for the following practices and more:
- Tree Planting
- Renewable Energy (Solar Development)
- Harvesting Timber (Timber Stand improvements)
- Not Harvesting Timber (Carbon Credits)
- Recreation (Fishing, Hunting, Camping, Ranch and Farm Tours)
- Water Quality Improvements
- Biodiversity (longleaf pine restoration, wildlife habitat, soil quality)
- Wildfire Risk Mitigation (Thinning, Firebreaks)
- Regenerative Agriculture (Silvopasture, regenerative grazing)
So no matter what you are doing on your property, whether that is farming, ranching, recreation, or just preservation, there is a program you are eligible for, and it can mean big bucks.
How I Made Money With My Land
I recently received funding from the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to help me install firebreaks, conduct controlled burns, remove invasive plant species, and plant and reduce competition for my longleaf pines. This funding was provided to not only enhance the gopher tortoise habitat in my area, but also mitigate the wildfire risk and prevent the spread of invasives, which out-compete native plants. Programs like EQIP are available through NCX.com’s platform, and the result for me was an income equal to about 11% of what I paid for my property! This money helps me to decide to steward my land in a way that balances what the ecology of the property warrants and not just what is best for my bottom line. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more programs that I have not applied for.
Stacking Income Sources On The Same Piece Of Land
Growing up, I always enjoyed listening to my godfather tell me about the farm he grew up on in South Alabama in the late 1930s through the 1950s. One of the stories I admired the most was learning about how well-diversified good farmers in that era were. They didn’t just make their money from one or two row crops, they derived value from their land from a variety of sources of livestock and agriculture, and much of that value didn’t come in the form of cash but in the quality of life they were able to lead. You didn’t need a ton of cash when your land produced the vast majority of what you needed!
In today’s world, it seems all too often landowners make their money from one revenue stream. When one market (such as timber, crops, or livestock) is down, the whole farm’s income is down. One of the beautiful things about the growing natural capital economy is that it can provide income to landowners from a diverse range of sources on the same acre. Just the same way a summer row crop farmer might allow winter grazing to increase the revenue per acre, you can stack some programs on the same acre. Nothing is stopping you from receiving income from both a public and private source (think carbon credits and tree planting income on a stand of pines) but you will need to make sure that is allowed. The Natural Capital Exchange already has that figured out for you.
How To Get Started Making Money From Your Natural Capital
The first step in receiving income for Natural Capital improvement projects on your land is to determine all of the programs available to you. If you try to do this program by program, prepare for a long process that is very time-consuming. The other option is to sign up at NCX.com. It’s completely free, and NCX does not share your personal data or contact information with anyone unless you want to be contacted by one of the programs you are eligible for. All you have to do is head over to NCX.com and submit a land map and some very basic ownership information. Based on the land you submit, you can immediately see all of the programs you are eligible for, if those programs can be stacked, all of the contract and earnings details, and request to be contacted right there from the platform. After you’ve made contact, NCX offers a team of people who will help you review the offers you get from program partners.
The natural capital economy is up for grabs, all you have to do is extend a hand to capture your piece of the pie.
