Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

California Department of Fish and Game
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Section 3.7. Agricultural Resources
Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program
As part of its Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program (FMMP), the
California Department of Conservation (DOC) periodically prepares maps of
Important Farmlands for most of the state’s agricultural areas. Preparation of
these maps follows DOC’s Important Farmland Inventory (IFI) system, which
relies on the following sources of information.
• NRCS soil survey maps.
• Land inventory and monitoring criteria developed by NRCS to characterize
the land’s suitability for agricultural production, the physical and chemical
characteristics of its soil, and the actual (existing) land use.
• Land use information compiled by the California Department of Water
Resources (DWR).
• Important Farmland maps, typically updated every 2 years.
The FMMP uses 8 land use/land cover categories to map farmlands and other
areas. Grazing Land, four primary categories of farmland, and 3 categories of
other lands/land cover are used. Following are the 4 primary farmland mapping
categories.
Prime Farmland
Lands with a combination of physical and chemical features best able to sustain
long-term production of agricultural crops. The land must be supported by a
developed supply of irrigation water that is dependable and of adequate quality
during the growing season. It must also have been used for the production of
irrigated crops at some time during the 4 years before mapping data were
collected.
Farmland of Statewide Importance
Lands with agricultural land use characteristics, irrigation water supplies, and
physical characteristics similar to those of Prime Farmland but with minor
shortcomings, such as steeper slopes or soils that retain less moisture.
Unique Farmland
Lands with soils of lower quality used for the production of California’s leading
agricultural cash crops. Unique Farmlands are typically irrigated but include nonirrigated
orchards or vineyards in some of the state’s climatic zones.
Farmland of Local Importance
Lands of importance to the local agricultural economy, as determined by each
county’s board of supervisors and a local advisory committee.
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
3.7-3
April 2012