Land Use

Cannabis farms leave lasting imprints. We measure impacts.

Cannabis agriculture influences a region's resources, economy and communities for generations. Using maps and satellite images, we can measure deforestation, habitat vulnerabilities, and wildfire risk. By analyzing trends, we connect land use policies to the health of forests, habitats and communities.

What we’ve learned

Cannabis farms in California’s Emerald Triangle tend to cluster in ecologically sensitive areas near unpaved access roads, steep slopes, and aquatic habitat.
Butsic et al. 2017 Butsic and Brenner 2016
Rapid expansion of small cannabis farms has led to fragmented habitat in biodiverse forests of southern Oregon. Our results suggest impacts on mammals, fish, and other wildlife.
Parker-Shames et al. 2021
The area of cannabis cultivation nearly doubled during a period of rapid regulatory change from 2012-2016. Sites near high-quality salmon habitat, far from paved roads and on steep slopes, also increased.
Butsic et al. 2018
A small number of large cannabis farms comprise the majority of permitted cultivation area in California. These larger farms tend to be newer and sited in areas more favorable to meeting environmental regulations. In Humboldt County, farm size increased despite policies to encourage small farms.
Dillis et al. 2021 Schwab et al. 2019
Cannabis farms are more likely to be located in high to very high fire hazard severity zones than any other type of agriculture in California.
Dillis et al. 2022
Land use policies control who grows cannabis where and how, especially at the local and county scale.
Polson 2015

Science and Policy Briefs

OPEN PDF

Cannabis Agriculture 101

Is cannabis legal to grow and sell? How is it grown? How widespread are farms and facilities? Explore the facts of California cannabis agriculture and regulation.

OPEN PDF

Cannabis Agriculture and Wildlife

Explore how cannabis cultivation can threaten wildlife, what growing practices can reduce impacts near sensitive habitat, and what we still need to learn.

Researchers

Michael Polson

Director

Associate Research Scientist

Hekia Bodwitch

Researcher

Postdoctoral Fellow

Phoebe Parker-Shames

Researcher

Wildlife Ecologist

Christopher Dillis

Researcher

Postdoctoral Reseacher

Margiana Petersen-Rockney

Postdoctoral Researcher

Laura Herrera

Outreach & Digital Communications

Public interest researcher and cannabis consultant

Jennifer Carah

Researcher

Senior Scientist

Jeff Vance Martin

Researcher

Research Social Scientist

Christy Getz

Researcher

Associate Cooperative Extension Specialist

Genoa Starrs

Researcher

Geographic Information System Programmer

Seth LaRosa

Researcher

PhD Candidate

Jeremy Sorgen

Researcher

Assistant Research Professor

Mary Power

Researcher

Professor, Integrative Biology and Faculty Manager, Angelo Coast Range Reserve

Stephanie Carlson

Researcher

Professor and A.S. Leopold Chair in Wildlife Biology

Nathan Sayre

Researcher

Faculty

Justin Brashares

Researcher

Professor of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation

Joanna Hossack

Cannabis Law Specialist

Attorney

Van Butsic

Researcher

Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist and Adjunct Professor

Ted Grantham

Researcher

Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension

Eric Biber

Researcher

Edward C. Halbach, Jr. Professor of Law

Related Publications

2024

A theory of geo-social marginalization: A case study of the licensed cannabis industry in California

Dillis, C., Petersen-Rockney, M., Polson, M.

Journal of Environmental Management

photograph of workers harvesting marijuana plants in a field

2023

Where money grows on trees: A socio-ecological assessment of land use change in an agricultural frontier

Parker-Shames, P., Bodwitch, H., Brashares, J., Butsic, V.

Landscape and Urban Planning

2023

Could Cannabis Help The American West Solve Its Thorniest Environmental Issues?

Parker-Shames, P.

Zócalo Public Square

Two photographs of cannabis. On the left, a densely planted field where budding live plants are covered by a green plastic mesh. On the right, an indoor storage space with bagged cannabis flower.

2023

Smaller Cultivation & California Cannabis Policy: Recommendations for a Multi-Scale Cultivation Sector

Polson, M., Bodwitch, H., Corva, D., Getz, C., Laudati, A., Petersen-Rockney, M., Runsten, D., Taylor, K.

2023

After legalization: Cannabis, environmental compliance, and agricultural futures

Polson, M., Bodwitch, H., Biber, E., Butsic, V., Grantham, T.

Land Use Policy

2022

Policy Findings & Recommendations Regarding California Cannabis: Farming, Regulation and the Environment

Polson, M., Butsic, V., Dillis, C., de Genova, H., Grantham, T., Herrera, L.R., Hossack, J., Laudati, A., Martin, J.V., Parker-Shames, P., Petersen-Rockney, M., Sorgen, J., Starrs, G.