NRCS Program Helps Expand Forestland Producer Opportunities The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is here to provide expert technical support and in some cases financial assistance to local forest landowners and operators in the West Fork Conservation District at no cost. The West Fork Conservation District covers Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison and Lewis counties. The NRCS District Conservationist is Jeff Griffith and with his staff, is eager to help local producers find ways to use conservation practices to enhance their natural resources. “Working with NRCS is easy and rewarding for private landowners as we can find ways to help them enhance their natural resources,” said Griffith. “The key factor in working with us is to know that everything is voluntary. We will inventory your natural resources, create a conservation plan based on the producer’s goals and see what conservation practices would work.” The 2014 Farm Bill has expanded opportunities for landowners and/or operators of forest related concerns. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is administered by NRCS to help landowners solve resources concerns attributed to forest land while increasing the quality and productivity of woodland and reduce the presence of invasive species. Some of the most common conservation practices used in the West Fork Conservation District are: • Grapevine Removal - stops present damage and reduces or stops future damage to quality hardwood stands. • Cull Tree Removal – removing low value trees to allow more nutrients and space to be utilized by higher quality crop trees. • Area Wide Thinning – decreases overcrowding of an area to prevent a decline in productivity and value of a stand. • Invasive Species Removal – removing non-native invasive species that hinder and/or replace the regeneration of valuable species such as oak and cherry. • Access Control/Fencing - excludes livestock to promote natural forest regeneration. Livestock will graze forest regeneration and can compact the soil to a point that no vegetation will grow. • Tree/Shrub Establishment - develops a stand composition suitable to the participant’s objectives. The EQIP program is available to eligible producers who want to improve the quality and productivity of their woodland. Applicants will be required to show proof of control of the land when an application is submitted for the program. This can be either by deed or lease or other approved documentation, as the applicant must have control of the land for the life of the proposed contract. Applications for EQIP are accepted on a continuous basis. For more information, contact your local NRCS office: Mount Clare at 304.624.9232 x3; Weston at 304.269.8431 x3; or Glenville at 304.462.7171 x2.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 09:49:28 +0000
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