Land Use: Orchards & Specialty Crops
Ecosystem Service: Food Production
Regional Value Estimate: $337 per acre per year
Confidence Level (in estimated value): Very High

How was value determined:

1. The regional value for orchards and specialty crops food production was taken from averaging the 2005 Michigan fruit tree land values and leasing rates reported by Michigan State University Extension for the seven-county region (Wittenberg and Harsh 2006).
2. The lease rates reported for each county are based on survey responses from across the state. Results were averaged across agricultural districts, which were delineated based on variations in soil and climate characteristics. Three agricultural districts are represented in our project area, although data from outside the project area were combined where survey response rates were low (Wittenberg and Harsh 2006).

Value estimate limitations:

1. There are significant variations in the estimated value for this ecosystem service across counties in the policy region because of the variations in orchards and specialty crop types, population densities and distributions, soil and climate conditions, topography, proximity to neighboring farms, and other factors.
2. Data were not reported at the county-level, but by "Agricultural Statistics District". Each includes anywhere from 5-15 counties. Where district reporting was low, data from neighboring districts were combined.
3. These values take into consideration only fruit tree orchards. Additional specialty crops such as berries, celery and nursery plants were not part of this valuation. However, we assumed that their food production value for this land use would be the same.