Tallahassee, FL – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced today that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Florida Forest Service is now accepting applications for the Longleaf Pine Landowner Incentive Program. The sign-up period will run from May 19-June 27 and is available for non-industrial private forest landowners.
“Longleaf pine forests once covered a vast range from Texas to Virginia but that has been greatly reduced,” said Commissioner Putnam. “With the help of private landowners across Florida, we can work together to restore the environmental benefits and natural beauty that come with this important natural resource.”
Longleaf pine forests are highly valued for their resistance to damage by insects, disease, wildfire and storms. They are also favored for their yield of high-quality wood products, biological diversity and scenic beauty. The goal of this program is to increase the acreage of healthy Longleaf pine ecosystems in Florida by helping non-industrial private forest landowners make the long-term investment required to establish and maintain this valuable ecosystem.
The Longleaf Pine Landowner Incentive Program is offered for private lands in Florida counties located west of the Apalachicola River and counties adjacent to the Ocala or Osceola National Forests. (See a map of eligible counties.)
The program provides incentive payments for the following:
- Improving timber stand
- Controlling invasive species
- Conducting prescribed burning operations
- Planting Longleaf pine
- Establishing native plant understory
- Conducting mechanical underbrush treatments
To obtain an application form, contact a local Florida Forest Service office or visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service. All qualifying applications will be evaluated and ranked for funding approval. This program is supported through a grant from the National Fish and Wildland Foundation with funding from the Southern Company, the U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Florida Forest Service manages more than 1 million acres of public forest land while protecting 26 million acres of homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire.
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture