Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

FIP Now Underway

A continuous sign-up opportunity for private nonindustrial forest landowners in Arkansas to participate in the USDA Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) is now underway, according to Thomas H. Wehri, Natural Resource Conservation Service state conservationist in Arkansas.

"To be eligible for cost-share FIP, a landowner must own no more than 1,000 acres of eligible land and have land suitable for producing marketable time crops," Wehri said. "At least 10 acres of eligible land is required for FIP, and there is an annual cost-share payments limit of $10,000 per person."

FIP is designed to share tree-planting and forest-management expense with eligible, private landwoners to prevent future shortages of saw timber, plywood logs and quality hardwood logs. Practices available under FIP are tree planting, improving a stand of forest trees and site preparing for natural regeneration.

The Forestry Incentives Program was authorized by congress in 1978 to share the cost of planting, timber stand improvement and other related practices on private, nonindustrial forest lands. The program is now reauthorized under the 1996 farm bill, formally named the "Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act of 1996."

FIP is administered by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. Technical assistance is provided by the Arkansas Forestry Commission.

Information about the FIP may be obtained through the Conservation Service, the Nevada County Conservation District office or the Arkansas Forestry Commission.