Sign-Up Begins June 19th For Emergency Forestry Program

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced that sign-up for the $404 million Emergency Forestry Conservation Reserve Program (EFCRP) will start June 19th. The program helps landowners & operators restore & replant forestland damaged by the hurricanes that occurred in 2005.

Trees planted through EFCRP help reduce flood effects, protect water sources, decrease soil erosion & improve wildlife habitat. On Dec. 30, 2005, President Bush signed the 2006 Defense Appropriations Act, which provides $900 million to address natural disaster damages from 2005 hurricanes & authorizes EFCRP. Of these funds, approximately $400 million is designated for the Emergency Forestry Conservation Reserve Program, $200 million for the Emergency Conservation Program & $300 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (which is available to communities & landowners in Tennessee, in addition to those in the 6 previously mentioned states).

To be eligible for EFCRP, a producer must have experienced at least a 35% loss to merchantable timber on private non-industrial forestland. The loss must relate directly with one of the calendar year 2005 hurricanes.

Tree loss must have occurred in 1 of the 261 counties receiving presidential or secretarial primary disaster designations caused by 2005 Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Ophelia, Rita or Wilma. Loss assistance is not available in contiguous counties. A complete list of eligible counties in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina & Texas is available online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/facts/html/hurrcounties06.htm.

Local Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will accept land enrollment offers from producers starting June 19th thru Oct. 20th, 2006. FSA will rank land offers based on potential to prevent soil erosion, improve water quality, restore wildlife habitat, & mitigate economic loss caused by hurricanes. Those rankings will be based on evaluations performed by foresters. The sign-up is divided into 3 selection periods for top-ranked offers: June 19 thru July 28; July 31 thru Sept. 1; & Sept. 5 thru Oct. 20. Eligible land offers not selected during the 1st or 2nd period will roll-over to subsequent selection period(s). All EFCRP contracts must have approval by Dec. 31, 2006.

After offer evaluation & acceptance, a forester will work with the landowner to develop a conservation plan. Enrolled land will remain under contract for 10 years. EFCRP participants will receive 50% cost-share assistance & a lump sum rental payment or 10 annual rental payments. EFCRP participants may not harvest standing timber from enrolled land during the term of the contract period, except as may be permitted by FSA as part of the normal maintenance of forest land.

Acreage enrolled in EFCRP does not count toward the per-county number of acres eligible for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and CRP's maximum acreage enrollment authority.

More information on EFCRP is available at local FSA offices and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/facts/html/efcrp06.htm. Additional info on USDA Hurricane assistance is available at http://www.usda.gov/HurricaneInfo.xml.