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A term easement is an easement placed on a property for a limited period of time, such as 10 or 20 years. Term easements are rare in Maine, but their use may be growing. They are rare because most people who donate easements want preservation to be permanent, and because the federal and state programs that pay for most purchased easements require permanent preservation. But term easements have a place.
Many agricultural observers believe that the greatest threat to Maine farmland lies in the next 15 years, and that after that, good farmland will more likely remain as farmland without the need for permanent easements, because the land’s highest and best use will clearly be for farming. That provides a good rationale for term easements.
The opportunity for term easements lies in the fact that some farmers who are not interested in a permanent easement are willing to accept a term easement. MFT is increasingly engaged in providing direct services to farmers through its Farm Viability program. MFT is experimenting with requiring famers to place term easements on their property in exchange for these services.
Return to Agricultural Easements
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