On today’s episode, we travel to this year’s County President’s Conference held in Chattanooga Tenn. Jeff Helms caught up with several attendees for their input on the annual event.

In the wrap-up, we’d like to inform forest landowners about a new cost-share program for the Southern Pine Beetle prevention program managed by the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Technical assistance and financial incentives will soon be available to help forest landowners in Alabama to implement prevention practices aimed at reducing susceptibility of their pine stands from a southern pine beetle (SPB) attack. The primary objective of the SPB Prevention Cost-share Program is to help forest landowners implement forest management practices that will ultimately reduce SPB damage and outbreaks in Alabama. 

Administered by the Alabama Forestry Commission, the program is made possible through a grant from the USDA Forest Service. The application will be available to the public beginning July 14, 2023, and will remain open until August 31, 2023.

Here are the requirements that must be met before a stand is eligible for the SPB Prevention Cost-share Program:

• This program is open to non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners who own at least 10 continuous acres of forest land in Alabama.
• These NIPF owners may include private individuals, joint owners, non-profit organizations, or corporations that are not wood-using industries and do not have publicly-traded stock.
• Ineligible owners include lands controlled by federal and local governments, wood-using industries or entities that derive more than 50 percent of their gross income from wood-using industries; corporations with publicly-traded stock, or public utility companies.
• The same acreage cannot be enrolled in other incentive or cost-share programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

Prevention practices available for incentive payments include:

• First commercial thinning of loblolly or shortleaf pine stand
• Understory prescribed burning of loblolly or shortleaf pine stand
• Low-density loblolly pine planting for suitable sites

If you would like to learn more about the individual practices and their criteria, click here.

Be sure to check out Alabama Ag Credit and Alabama Farmers Federation.