Friday, November 13, 2015

FLORIDA LAND STEWARD UPDATE 11/13/15

USDA HELPS RESTORE, MANAGE LONGLEAF PINE FORESTS ON PRIVATE LANDS
Longleaf Provides Critical Wildlife Habitat, Valuable Timber

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing $10.6 million to aid forest managers restoring longleaf pine ecosystems on private lands in nine states, including $1,278,000 for Florida.  Longleaf pine forests nearly vanished, but a coordinated conservation effort, led by USDA and other conservation partners, is helping this unique ecosystem of the Southeast recover.
 
“USDA is committed to working with land managers to help restore and expand this critical ecosystem, and together we have restored nearly a quarter of a million acres since 2009,” said Russell Morgan, NRCS state conservationist in Florida. “Longleaf forests provide vital habitat to a variety of species as well as valuable timber.  We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in this next round of the initiative.”

During the past two centuries, development, timbering and fire suppression reduced the ecosystem’s range by almost 97 percent. Longleaf forests once dominated the coastal plains of the Southeast, and 29 threatened and endangered species – including the gopher tortoise and black pine snake – depend on these forests for survival.

NRCS’ Longleaf Pine Initiative, now in its sixth year, has helped restore more than 240,000 acres of longleaf forests. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help landowners and land managers plant longleaf as well as manage longleaf forests through practices like prescribed burning.
Longleaf trees are resistant to fire, and prescribed burning mimics a natural process that once enabled them to thrive. Additionally, fire gives life to a fresh understory of plants that provides food for wildlife. Longleaf forests benefit both wildlife and land managers. Longleaf pine trees, while slower growing than other pines like loblolly, provide highly valuable timber. Longleaf pine straw has also become a popular landscaping material.

Assistance is available to land managers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Interested landowners are encouraged to contact their local USDA service center.

TAX TIPS FOR FOREST LANDOWNERS FOR THE 2015 TAX YEAR
Federal income tax laws can influence a private woodland owner’s financial decisions about land management. Yet, special favorable tax provisions on timber that are intended to encourage private forest management and stewardship are commonly unknown. To help woodland owners in filing their 2015 tax returns, this publication, by Dr. Linda Wang, USDA Forest Service National Timber Tax Specialist, explains the federal income tax laws on timber. The information is not legal or accounting advice. It is current as of September 30, 2015. This publication is available at http://www.timbertax.org

USDA NRCS PROGRAMS HELP FLORIDA FARMERS, RANCHERS CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES
Application deadline for financial assistance Dec. 18
Florida farmers and ranchers can apply until Dec. 18, 2015, for financial and technical assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs for fiscal year 2016 funding. Although applications are accepted on a continuous basis for all programs, funding selections are typically made once a year. 

Through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), landowners may receive financial and technical assistance to improve soil, water, air, plants, animals and related resources. Eligible land includes cropland, rangeland, pastureland, private non-industrial forestland and other farm or ranch lands.

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides financial and technical assistance to conserve agricultural lands and wetlands. Agricultural Land Easements help farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. Eligible partners are Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations that have farmland or grassland protection programs. Wetland Reserve Easements offer technical and financial assistance directly to private landowners and Indian tribes to restore, protect and enhance wetlands through the purchase of a wetland easement.

Begin by visiting your local NRCS field office and requesting help developing a conservation plan. Our experts provide this free service to help you use your natural resources more efficiently. To learn about technical and financial assistance available from NRCS, go to Getting Started with NRCS.

SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES?
Do you have pests or a disease in your trees? Leaves or needles wilting, and you don’t know why? Sawdust falling out of your trees, and you don’t know how to save them? There is help: ask your question at the free Forest Health Diagnostic Forum: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/treehealth/forum/.

FOREST STEWARDSHIP VIDEOS  - VIEW AND SHARE!
All the latest videos are on the Florida Forest Stewardship Program home page:
http://sfrc.ufl.edu/forest_stewardship

GOT AN INVASIVE SPECIES PROBLEM?
Go to floridainvasives.org for information, assistance and partnership opportunities.

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC?
Check the vast array of extension publications available through UF/IFAS on the EDIS publication site:  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/  Wow, there’s a publication about that?



ONGOING SERVICES, INITIATIVES, PROGRAMS:
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FWC REQUESTS REPORTS OF WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS:


UF/IFAS SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION EXTENSION PROGRAMS
See http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension


FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES WEBINARS
For a calendar of upcoming webinars in a variety of land management topics see:
http://www.forestrywebinars.net/webinar-calendar/month#.T-zLkBhgZys.blogger


UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA CONTINUING FORESTRY EDUCATION CLASSES
See http://conted.warnell.uga.edu/ for the latest offerings.


ALABAMA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION FORESTRY WEBINARS
See http://www.aces.edu/natural-resources/forestry/
 
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