A Collaborative Process
At Magnolia, we understand that landowners know their land better than anyone. That’s why we work collaboratively with our partner landowners to help them maximize their property’s potential while staying true to the unique vision they have for their land. Together, we create conservation management plans that open new streams of passive income for our landowner partners without significantly altering their preferred land management practices.
Earn Passive Income
Get competitive monetary compensation on a per-acre basis for land enrolled in our program. Compensation is typically given in a single payment, but can be spread out in installments over several years for tax purposes if needed.
Maintain Full Property Ownership
You’ll maintain full ownership of the land enrolled in our program. There is no transfer of ownership of any areas of your property, nor are there any obligations to hold or sell the property in the future. You also maintain the right to sell your property at any time and maintain all subsurface rights, as long as subsurface activities do not negatively impact the conservation area.
Improve Recreational Opportunities
Land enrolled in our program often becomes more conducive to high-quality recreational activities such as hunting, trapping, and hiking.. You maintain full hunting and recreational rights, which can be leased to others if desired.
Reduced Tax Liability
Most landowners benefit from reduced property taxes once their land is conserved. We encourage and assist our landowner partners to have their land reassessed following execution of the easement.
Insure Against Natural Disasters
For each of our projects, we create an endowment fund as a form of insurance. In the event of natural disaster, such as a fire or tornado, this fund will be utilized to help restore the ecological health of the conserved land.
Maintain Privacy (No Public Access)
Land enrolled in our program remains private property, meaning you are not required or pressured to open your property for public access. All we ask is that landowners allow our private team of biologists to conduct a once-a-year check-in to ensure ecosystem health.
Customize Conservation Area
You have the option to exclude particular areas of your property from the conservation area. We pride ourselves on working with landowners to design a unique conversation plan that fits within your plan for the land.
Enhance Local Environment
Lands enrolled in our program, as well as surrounding land areas, often receive positive ecological benefits such as increased health of wildlife, improved water quality, and strengthened ecosystem services. Conserved land becomes a sanctuary for plants and wildlife that may be threatened or endangered in the local environment. By participating in our program, you may help to save a variety of species from extinction.
Benefits of Our Partner Conservation Program
You, your property, and the local environment can all benefit from our program. Each property and conservation project is unique, meaning some of these benefits may apply to varying degrees, and it's possible there will be additional benefits not included below.
2
Initial Property Evaluation
One of our experienced land specialists will visit the property and confirm the areas that may qualify for one of our programs.
3
Conservation Agreement
Magnolia’s land specialists will consult the landowner to finalize the areas to be enrolled in the conservation program; the landowner will receive a formal offer to enroll land into one of our programs.
4
Project Approval & Easement Execution
Magnolia takes care of all permitting and project approval processes. Once the project is fully approved, Magnolia pays the landowners and executes the conservation easement.
5
Restoration & Maintenance
Our team of qualified restoration scientists work to improve and/or maintain certain environmental functions on the property. Our work includes invasive species management, tree plantings, stream bank stabilization, and more. Each restoration project is unique, and in many cases, land is accepted into conservation as is.
Land Enrollment Next Steps
Our landowner-partners receive financial compensation on a per-acre basis for land enrolled in our conservation programs. The collaborative land enrollment process is unique to each project, but often follows the following framework:
"Everyone was very nice and everything was very professional. I liked working with Magnolia because you came to my house and got people together and explained the whole process, and that made a difference."
Joe from Blair County, PA
“My experience with Magnolia was very positive. They were easy to work with, no pressure during the process, and when there were items to be discussed and quantified with myself and my attorney, we were able to work the differences out to everyone’s satisfaction. I would highly recommend Magnolia for anyone who is looking to move their property into conservation.”
Jim from Berks County, PA
“Everything went smoothly. It helped pay off the rest of my farm and it really didn’t affect the way I used the land. The people were great. If I ever needed anything or if I called, you called right back. It’s not just about the money, it’s about everything; the whole package. It really worked out great for me.”
Jason from Clermont County, OH
Enhance your land. Protect our environment. Earn income.
We partner with private landowners to enhance their land for environmental benefit without compromising property rights or management. This results in healthier land, a healthier environment, and additional income for landowners at no cost.
Partner With Us
Interested in participating in one of our conservation programs? Fill out the form below and one of our team members will contact you to explore partnership options.
Landowner FAQ
Mitigation is the preservation, enhancement, restoration, or creation of important ecological lands and resources which offsets or compensates for loss of similar habitat elsewhere. At Magnolia, the majority of our conservation and restoration projects are funded through mitigation channels and developed in collaboration with private landowners, local environmental organizations, and government entities.
We find joy in ensuring those who enroll their land in our programs are well compensated. The amount is determined by a variety of factors such as property size, natural resources, habitat quality, development potential, alternative use value, and more. While landowners typically receive payment in a single lump-sum, we can also spread out payments over several years, if advantageous for tax purposes. Payments to landowners are taxed as capital gains, not as income.
If you plan on purchasing more land with the revenue received, discuss the benefits of a 1031 exchange with your tax professional as it could provide significant tax savings.
We have a built-in 24 month period for project approval, but typically we can complete payments within 18 months.
Very flexible! There is absolutely no stipulation for you to continue with the full proposed conservation area. It’s not all-or-nothing, as you are compensated per acre. We work with you to design an environmental project that works in tandem with your vision for your land.
Just because you decide to conserve your land doesn’t mean it’s untouchable. Low-impact recreational activities such as hiking, camping, and hunting can still be enjoyed, and even vehicles can still be used on existing trails.
Also, it’s good for you to know that the easement typically only includes restrictions on the surface; this means exploration or extraction of oil, gas, or minerals is permitted as long as there is no adverse effect on the surface of the conservation area.The main responsibility of the landowner is to keep the area from being disturbed. This means no destroying, clear-cutting, or damaging the preserved acreage, as well as trying to keep unwanted trespassers off the property. In the case of any drastic changes, simply notify Magnolia. We will cover the cost of ecological improvements, as well as the once-per-year monitoring of the conserved area.
Our landowner-partners are never required to provide public access to their land and retain the right to enjoy their land recreationally. However, any large-scale development to the conserved area would be permanently prohibited. In most cases, timber and agricultural activities are either limited or prohibited. If you have specific questions concerning your land, contact our land management team for further inquiries.
Projects are designed with you to accommodate both the unique characteristics of the site and your own property goals. Our projects aim to preserve, enhance, or restore a property's existing natural resources, such as endangered mature forested areas, riparian corridors, streams, and wetlands. We also seek to eradicate invasive species while assisting the growth of animal nesting and foraging places for endangered species. In order to not be a disturbance, we strive to complete our work in as few trips as possible.
Step 1: The Preliminary Meeting / Site Visit
Time: 1-2 months
The preliminary meetings and site visit will allow Magnolia to learn more about the ecology of your land and the potential conservation projects which could be conducted on it.
Step 2: The Conservation Agreement
After working together to create a formal plan, we’ll draft up the conservation agreement which outlines our monetary offer and our intent to execute an easement over the conservation area.
Step 3: Project ApprovalTime: 6-10 months
After the conservation plan has been agreed upon, the agreement is submitted for approval. Once it has been approved, we move on to implementing the easement.
Step 4: The Conservation Easement
We execute the easement over the conservation area, and you get paid. Magnolia will engage in some habitat enhancement work during the first year, but after which there will only be annual monitoring.
Magnolia works with a number of state, federal, and local non-profit organizations who approve and help ensure the long-term stability of our projects. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service often acts as the referee for our species mitigation projects, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers serves in a similar role for our stream and wetland restoration efforts. While we develop projects on a national scale, we make an effort to build relationships with and solicit “boots-on-the-ground” support from area- and resource-specific environmental organizations — such as land trusts and watershed associations — in order to establish a local partner for each of our projects.
There are other benefits as well to having an easement on your land. Once you have an easement on your land, reassessing your property could reduce your property tax. Also, Magnolia has an endowment fund for each of their projects, which acts as an insurance policy against damages from natural disasters. This allows us to restore the land back to its original conserved state should anything happen.
