Working Farms & Forestland
Farmland and forests produce the necessities of life and provide essential natural services. In PEC's nine county area, over 180,000 acres of farmland and 140,000 acres of forests are protected through private, voluntary land conservation.
Learn where to find and enjoy local foods in the newly released Buy Fresh Buy Local guide --now for the Northern Piedmont & Charlottesville area.
Piedmont farmland is some of the richest in the nation, producing essential food and fibers that people need to live.
Forests, which cover about 58% of PEC's nine county region, supply essential products and play a major role in keeping water supplies plentiful and clean.
The Virginia Piedmont's rural landscape is integral to three of Virginia's leading economic generators- agriculture, forestry, and tourism.
Many tools are available to preserve rural land, from private land conservation to Purchase of Development Rights programs, land use taxation, zoning provisions and more.
Newspaper, TV, and radio reports on issues affecting working farms and forestland in the Piedmont.
