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Federal public lands may offer opportunities to improve housing affordability in a limited number of states, but will face significant barriers from wildfire risk, water availability, and conflicts with existing resource or recreation uses. Read more
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Millions of national park visitors generate economic opportunities for gateway communities, spending money that creates jobs and income. See the trends for every national park service unit. Read more
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Detailed estimates of summer trail use help show the impacts of growing recreational use and highlight infrastructure needs in southwest Montana. Read more
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New activities can help guarantee and diversify future revenue from New Mexico state trust lands, complementing the successful Land Grant Permanent Fund. Read more
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States tend to spend, rather than save, federal fossil fuel disbursements, potentially making them vulnerable to economic transitions. Read more
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Recent studies find that national monument designations do not negatively impact local economic performance, and in many cases strengthen local economies. Read more
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The bipartisan Forest Health for Rural Stability Act would establish a federal land endowment and resolve key challenges of federal land payments to counties. Read more
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View a presentation given at the Our America’s Rural Opportunity forum about the context of public lands and the rural west. Read more
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Analysis shows raising Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) population limits for small-population counties would have increased total payments by $2 million in 2019. Read more
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States were granted trust lands by the U.S. Congress to generate revenue to fund public institutions, primarily public schools. Read more
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Overspending of state trust permanent funds reduces future school funding and incentivizes sales of trust land and nonrenewable resources. Read more
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Changing economies, new land uses, shifting social values, and political pressure create challenges for state trust land managers. Read more
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Advocates of transferring federal land to states point to the superior ability of state trust lands to generate revenue, but our analysis finds significant economic and fiscal disadvantages. Read more
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Public lands influence the economy, demographics, and fiscal policies of communities. Explore maps and county-level data for the 828 million acres of federal, state, and municipal land in the U.S. Read more
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What is the economic impact of America’s public lands and waters? How can we quantify how these remarkable resources contribute to our quality of life? And how are our valuation methods and public policies changing? Read more
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Fiscal policy reforms could substantially increase the economic benefits of public lands for states and local communities. Read more
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Comprehensive benefit cost analyses of public lands policies are needed. Read more
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A spiritual and cultural treasure and a multi-trillion-dollar asset, public land must be protected. Read more
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Natural resources are still the foundation of the Rockies region economy even as it has shifted from extraction-based activities to recreation and tourism. Read more
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Non-labor income can have an outsized effect on communities in the rural West with a large share of public lands. Read more
