As a Land Trust, Standing Cedars has a number of land protection tools that can be utilized depending on the circumstances.. Most of Standing Cedars’ work has been accomplished through either fee-title acquisition or conservation easements.

Fee-title Acquisition - When unique and/or critical habitat is identified, the Standing Cedars Board of Directors may decide to acquire and hold the land. Lands owned by Standing Cedars are managed in accordance with agreements with our partners to preserve the undeveloped ecosystems for future generations.

Conservation Easements - Conservation easements may be the answer for donors looking to retain ownership of the land for themselves and their heirs, yet to ensure permanent protection of the habitat for future generations. In establishing a conservation easement, Standing Cedars will work with the donor to determine which resources need to be protected and to develop a long-term plan to provide the protection. The donor assigns certain rights to Standing Cedars and agrees to manage the property according to a conservation plan. The land remains owned and controlled, according to the conservation plan, by the donor. The easement runs with title to the property and remains in effect when the property is sold or transferred to the donor's heirs. In return, Standing Cedars agrees to protect and defend the property's resources from activities not consistent with the easement. Once a conservation easement has been accepted, Standing Cedars’ commitment remains intact forever.

Examples of common conservation easements include:
• Agricultural protection: The rights to subdivide and build structures on the property are transferred.. The landowner continues to farm and/or graze the property
• Habitat protection: All rights to alter the habitat - including plowing, cropping, draining, cutting trees, grazing, haying, mowing, and burning - are transferred. No habitat alterations are allowed on the property without prior consent of the Trust.

Hunting and access rights may be retained by the landowner or may be donated to the Trust, depending on the resource protection needs and the donor's wishes.

There is no one-size-fits-all type of conservation easement. Standing Cedars will work with property owners to understand the owner's wishes and to determine which restrictions are warranted, needed, and appropriate.