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Abstract
This study presents the results of a survey of Conservation Use Valuation Covenant Holders in Georgia that took place in 2002. A response rate of 61% was attained with a usable response rate of 53%. The important findings are that after the programs first 10 years, the Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (CUVA) program has been effectively implemented in Georgia and Covenant holders are quite satisfied with CUVA. The program has been extremely well received by landowners with more than 80,000 covenants representing greater than 7 million acres enrolled in the program. The majority of covenant holders own less than 50 acres and live on a farm or in rural area. They are well-educated with an average annual income between $50,000 and $60,000. Common management activities since entering the CVUA program are farming or ranching, tree planting and timber harvesting. Regarding future land value expectations, the majority ranked non-economic benefits above economic benefits. Overall, it appears that the CUVA program is not a significant factor affecting land use decisions. Index Words: property taxation, use-value assessment, fair market value (FMV), conservation use valuation assessment (CUVA).