This past January, Winter Storm Fern moved through Mississippi leaving a line of freezing weather in our state, downing trees and power lines. Significant damage occurred in Oxford and Tishomingo County.
There were countless landowners that suffered damage to their property and non-industrial private forest (NIPF) land, and the goal of this column is to inform landowners about a program that may aid those in the future that find themselves in these dire circumstances.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency administers a program called the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP).
The EFRP provides eligible landowners of non-industrial private forest land with cost-share assistance for restoration of land affected by a natural disaster. Wildlife Mississippi conceptualized this program and worked with the American Forest Foundation and the U.S. Congress to make it law. This program is available for restoration purposes only, and it does not provide assistance for loss of forest products. It is strictly for the restoration of the land.
Since this program is available for emergency assistance only, sign-up periods are not continual, and only certain counties may be eligible for assistance through the EFRP.
Land-owners with significant damage should contact their local USDA service center and talk with the Farm Service Agency to determine if their county is eligible for participation in EFRP.
For land to be eligible, it must be owned by any non-industrial private individual, corporation, group, association or other entity.
As this program focuses solely on restoration, eligible lands must prove to have previously had existing tree cover and continue to be suitable for tree growth.
The EFRP is a cost-share program at the rate of 75% of the cost of implementation of practices.
The minimum qualifying cost of restoration is $1,000 and the maximum is $500,000.
Restoration practices eligible for cost-share assistance may include:
• Site preparation, planting materials and labor for reestablishing forest systems
• Debris removal for re-establishment or regeneration
• Restoration of forest land roads and fire breaks
• Fencing or exclusion structures for protection of trees from wildlife damage
• Wildlife enhancements to provide openings and improve wildlife habitat
If you are a non-industrial private landowner and find yourself in need of assistance following a natural disaster, please consider contacting your local USDA Farm Service Agency to determine your eligibility in the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.
Even if you are not sure if you qualify, it is worth the effort to find out.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a nonprofit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi. The website is www.wildlifemiss.org.
