Friday, November 17, 2017

FLORIDA LAND STEWARD UPDATE 11/17/17

NEW ISSUE OF SOUTHERN FIRE EXCHANGE'S FIRE LINES NEWSLETTER
This issue's features: Snags and Prescribed Fire- Are They Related?, Do You Have Ideas about How to Make Wildland Firefighting Safer?, Scientists and Managers Learn More About Duff Fire Management at Recent SFE Workshop, Threats from Forest Pests and Wildland Fire- In Top 7 Forest Sector Challenges in Recent Report , New JFSP Factsheet Highlights Fuel Treatment Research Results, Share your Successes, New and Updated Resources

Current and back issues of Fire Lines available at:
http://southernfireexchange.org/SFE_Publications/Newsletter.html

FALL-WINTER 2017 ISSUE OF QUARTERLY FLORIDA LAND STEWARD NEWSLETTER NOW AVAILABLE
In this issue: The Gopher Tortoise Council and its Role in Conserving an Ancient Reptile, Florida Tree Farmers: Time for a 5-year Inspection?, 'Tis the Season for Disking for our Northern Bobwhite Quail, ACF Consultant Corner: Prescribed Burn Associations in Florida?, Certified Forest Stewards and Tree Farmers.

Access this and back issues at Florida Land Steward Newsletter

ASSISTANCE HELPS FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND FOREST OWNERS TO CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES
Application deadline for financial assistance November 17
Florida farmers, ranchers and forest owners can apply until Nov. 17 for financial and technical assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for fiscal year 2018 funding. Although applications are accepted on a continuous basis for all programs, funding selections are typically made once a year.

Through EQIP, agricultural 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 application deadline also applies to the following EQIP-funded initiatives: Organic Producer Initiative, Seasonal High Tunnels, Energy Initiative, Pollinator Initiative, Everglades Initiative, Longleaf Pine Initiative, National Water Quality Initiative, Working Lands for Wildlife, Gulf of Mexico Initiative, and Strikeforce.

It all starts with a plan. Call or visit your local NRCS field office and request help in developing a conservation plan. To learn about technical and financial assistance available from NRCS, go to Getting Started with NRCS.
     
TAX TIPS FOR FOREST LANDOWNERS FOR THE 2017 TAX YEAR
Specific federal income tax laws and rules apply to timber related income and expenses. Dr. Linda Wang's annual tax tips bulletin is intended to assist timber owners, foresters, loggers and their tax preparers in filing the 2017 tax returns. This bulletin, information on timber casualty loss from storm damage and more is available at https://timbertax.org/

FLORIDA TREE FARMERS: TIME FOR A FIVE-YEAR INSPECTION?
The Florida Tree Farm Program requests that certified Tree farmers, who have been certified in the American Tree Farm System for five years, contact a Tree Farm inspector to have their Tree Farm reinspected. All Tree Farms must be inspected every five years in order to verify activity and maintain the credibility of the Program. We very much appreciate your help with the five-year inspection process and everything you do for forest stewardship in Florida..

Find your Tree Farm District Representative at https://www.treefarmsystem.org/about-fl
Your Florida Forest Service County Forester can help with the inspection as well. Find your County Forester at http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/For-Landowners/County-Foresters   


FLORIDA LAND STEWARD CALENDAR OF EVENTS


AIR POTATO PATROL CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT
A new on-line Citizen Science project is looking for volunteers at https://airpotatobeetle.com/. This collaborative project between University of Florida IFAS Extension and Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services seeks to educate residents on how to identify and better control air potato vines, and to gather data important to current research and air potato leaf beetle tracking. The website contains educational videos and a blog to educate the participants and keep them updated. Volunteers will be asked to complete surveys to evaluate the level of air potato infestation and the presence of the air potato beetles in their test plots. For more information please visit the website or contact William Lester, UF/IFAS Extension, at wlester@ufl.edu.

SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES? - CHECK OUT THE FOREST HEALTH DIAGNOSTICS FORUM
Hosted by a group of forest and tree health specialists with Southeastern universities and agencies, we are here to help identify pests and diseases in your forest or you backyard, and to recommend a solution, if appropriate. Join the group and report your tree health issue!

Visit the new Forest Health Diagnostic forum on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthernTreeHealthDiagnostics/

ONGOING SERVICES, INITIATIVES, PROGRAMS:
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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?


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


SOUTHERN REGION EXTENSION FORESTRY
See http://sref.info/ for the latest news, tools and offer

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