Private woodland owners may seek assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to improve, protect, and restore forests with 2008 Farm Bill programs. Opportunities exist for woodland owners to apply for financial assistance to install forestry practices with program practice payments and from rental and/or easement programs. NRCS can take applications for Farm Bill programs at any time. FSA can also take applications at any time for practices that are available under continuous sign-up.

How to Apply for 2008 Farm Bill Programs

Woodland owners may visit a USDA Service Center to sign-up for Farm Bill programs, but it is wise to call NRCS or FSA beforehand to obtain advice on the required documents to bring. NRCS and FSA office locations can be found at this Web site, http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.

For more information, refer to the 2008 Farm Bill How to Apply for Programs publication at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/intranet/publications/USDA_Eligibility.pdf.

Programs with Practice Payments

Landowners may be eligible for Program Practice Payments from NRCS through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). The EQIP program emphasizes conserving resources on working lands (e.g. cropland, pastureland, and managed forests), and the WHIP program�s goal is to improve wildlife habitat. EQIP and WHIP funds are allocated through a competitive ranking process. Projects are funded that provide the highest environmental and economic benefits.

Woodland owners are eligible to apply for EQIP if they have a forest management plan, have completed forestry practices in the woods (e.g. trees planted, forest stand improvement, etc.), or have at least $1,000 of gross farm products sold or expected to be sold. Additional information on EQIP can be found at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/eqiphomepage.html.

WHIP does not require a forest management plan or specific farm income. Additional information on WHIP can found at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/whip.html.

Programs with Easement Payments and Practice Payments

NRCS offers programs where a conservation easement is placed upon the property deed, and the landowner receives a payment based on the conservation values being conserved. NRCS administers the following easement programs: Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Floodplain Easement Program (FEP), and Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP). These programs also offer practice payments to complete restoration practices.

Under WRP, wetlands are restored for wildlife habitat and other wetland values; and FEP restores floodplain functions. Most easements for WRP are in perpetuity, but 30-year easements or restoration practice payments are also available. You can sign-up for WRP at any time. Information on WRP can be found at the following web site: http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/WRP/WRPhomepage.html. FEP only offers permanent easements, and sign-up is only available when announced by the Secretary of Agriculture.

The HFRP is a new program for Indiana and currently is located only in the St. Joseph River (Maumee) watershed to provide biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and habitat for the Copperbelly Water snake, Indiana Bat, and Mussel species. At this time, Indiana NRCS is finalizing rules for the HFRP program, and information will be posted when available at http://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs.

Programs with Rental Payments

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that includes the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP), Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE). Woodland owners may be interested in using these programs to establish tree plantings on eligible land. You can sign-up for CCRP, CREP, and SAFE at any time, but other CRP opportunities are only available when the Secretary of Agriculture announces a sign-up. Land enrolled in these programs receives practice payments and other incentives as well as annual rental payments based upon 10- or 15-year contracts

USDA Practice Payment Table

NRCS and FSA in Indiana developed a matrix called United States Department of Agriculture, Practice Payment Assistance (Cost-Share) for Indiana Private Non-Industrial Forest Landowners, Fiscal Year 2009 (October 2008�September 2009). This matrix was developed to show landowners which forestry practices are applicable from USDA farm programs and is available at http://www.iaswcd.org/icp/icpforestry.html. Scroll down to Natural Resources Conservation Service and click on the Forestry Farm Bill Matrix link in the middle of the web site page.

United States Depatment of Agriculture
Practice Payment Assistance ("Cost-Share") for Indiana Private Non-Industrial Forest Landowners
Fiscal Year 2009 (October 2008 - September 2009)
Forestry Activities		Programs with Practice Payments		Programs with Practice and Annual Rental Payments			Programs with Practice and Easement Payments
Practice Name	Definition	EQUIP	WHIP	General Signup CRP	CCRP	CREP	HFRP	WRP	FEP
Forest Stand Improvement	Improving a Forest Stand by releasing desirable trees	$34/ac		Up to 50% of Cost			$34-$68/ac
Forest Management Plan - Written	A plan to manage forestland for multiple, long-term benefits	$225-$413 each
Forest Trails and Landings	Installing Best Management Practices to Minimize Soil Erosion	$317/ac
Riparian Forest Buffer	Rows of trees/shrubs planted adjacent to water bodies	$407/ac	$400/ac		$266/ac + 40%		$256-$511/ac	75%-100%	100%
Tree/Shrub Planting (Upland)	Establishing woody plants for environmental and societal benefits	$321-$395/ac		Available only if National Sign-up Announced	SAFE and Wellhead only		$256-$411/ac	50%-100%
Tree/Shrub  Planting (Bottomland/ Floodplain)	Establishing woody plants for environmental and societal benefits	$321-$395/ac	$383/ac		$266/ac + 40%		$256-$511/AC	50%-100%	100%
Tree Planting Weed Control	2nd and 3rd year weed control in tree plantings	$34/ac	$60/ac		$34/ac + 40%		$34-$68/ac	50%-100%	100%
Tree/Shrub Pruning	To improve tree quality	$40/ac
Windbreak/       Shelterbelts	To control wind erosion or provide wildlife habitat	$0.58/ft	$0.66/ft		$266/ac + 40%
Wetland Restoration	To restore wetland and/or floodplain functions	$1534/ac	$2091/ac		50% of cost + 40%		$1394-$2788/ac	75%-100%	100%
Invasive Species Control	To control invasive species that threaten forest health	$77/ac (each year up to 3 years)	$516/ac yr1 $299/ac yr2 $149/ac yr3				$77-$154/ac
EQUIP - Environmental Quality Incentives Program; WHIP - Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program; WRP - Wetlands Reserve Program; FEP - Floodplain Easement Program; HFRP - Healthy Forest Reserve Program; CRP-Conservation Reserve Program;    CREP - Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program;   CCRP - Continuous Sign-Up CRP                                                    NOTE: The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (Division of Forestry and Division of Fish and Wildlife), US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and others may also offer Financial Assistance programs available to Indiana Private Non-Industrial Forest Landowners

 

Ken Collins is the state forester for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Indiana.