‘More than just scenery’: Northampton County open space worth $435M a year, study says

A new Northampton County study attaches dollar amounts to the value of open space, recreation, agriculture and other environmental investments.

“In total, Northampton County’s open space delivers $434.6 million in benefits every year — every year — with another $2.5 billion in long-term state savings stored in our trees alone,” county executive Lamont McClure said during a news conference Tuesday at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center in Bushkill Township.

The return-on-environment study is the first the county’s undertaken since 2014. McClure called it a roadmap for future investment in open space to yield benefits like cleaner water, healthier residents, stronger farms, higher property values and a more resilient economy.

“This is a true return on environment,” he said. “These