Longleaf Pine Legacy Incentives for Landowners
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Announces
Longleaf Legacy Incentives for Landowners
TALLAHASSEE, FL –Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Florida Forest Service is accepting applications now through May 11, 2012 for its Longleaf Legacy Landowner Incentive Program which offers Florida’s non-industrial private landowners incentive payments for longleaf pine restoration.
“Longleaf pine forests once covered a vast range from Texas to Virginia, but have been reduced over time to accommodate other land uses,” said Commissioner Putnam. “These forests are highly valued for their resistance to damage by insects, disease, wildfire, and storms, and for their yield of high quality wood products, biological diversity, and scenic beauty.”
The program works to increase the acreage of healthy longleaf pine ecosystems in Florida by helping non-industrial private forest landowners to make the necessary investments required to establish and maintain longleaf pine ecosystems. Funding is provided through a grant and support by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Southern Company, USDA Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Program participants receive incentive payments for various land improvements completed including invasive species control, prescribed burning, longleaf planting, and other functions that improve longleaf pine ecosystems and associated wildlife habitat. The program is offered for private lands in Florida counties located west of the Apalachicola River.
Interested applicants should contact their local Florida Forest Service office – Escambia County – (850) 587-5123, Okaloosa County – (850) 689-7838, Santa Rosa County (850) 983-5310 – or visit www.floridaforestservice.com for program requirements and procedures. Qualifying applicants will be evaluated and ranked for funding approval.
The Florida Forest Service manages more than one million acres of public forest land while protecting more than 24 million acres of homes, forestland and natural resources.
For more information about the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit. www.FreshFromFlorida.com or follow Commissioner Putnam on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
