2021 FLORIDA LAND STEWARD WALL CALENDARS AVAILABLE
Season’s Greetings! It’s that time of year – request your copy of the 2021 Florida Land Steward calendar. The annual Florida Land Steward calendar features beautiful photography, habitat management tips, landowner and management highlights, resource contacts, and more. These make a great gift for that land steward or outdoor enthusiast on your list. Request your calendar by sending an email to cdemers@ufl.edu with your mailing address. These are first come, first serve to interested landowners certified in the Tree Farm Program, Forest Stewardship Program, Wildlife Habitat Recognition Program, or otherwise recognized, active or engaged in land management.
SEE UPDATE AND COMMENT ON USFWS CHANGE TO RED COCKADED WOODPECKER LISTING
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed to change the status of the red-cockaded woodpecker from “endangered” to “threatened.” The Service also proposed a “4(d) rule” – new regulations that will govern how landowners can manage their forests when this species is present. These proposals are open to public comment in the Federal Register until December 7, 2020. See on-demand webinar on this update and link to comment site here.
APPLICATIONS STILL BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE HURRICANE MICHAEL TIMBER RECOVERY BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM– MAKE SURE YOU ENROLL IF YOU WERE IMPACTED BY THIS STORM
Registration for the Florida Timber Recovery Block Grant Program is available to forest landowners who suffered damage from Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program is managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) in conjunction with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the Florida Forest Service (FFS), which will provide technical assistance to forest landowners required to produce documentation to receive compensation for their loss. The registration deadline was November 20, 2020 but applications will still be considered after that date if funding is available.
The direct link to the Block Grant web page is at FloridaDisaster.org/timber. Register there to begin the application process. For questions about the registration or application process call the FDEM hotline at 850-270-8317.
For more details and tips on the application process and other information see the UF/IFAS Timber Recovery Block Grant blog post. .
LEADERSHIP OF FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS ESTABLISH COMMON GROUND ON ROLE OF PRIVATE WORKING FORESTS IN MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE
Over 40 environmental, conservation and forest business leaders today announced an agreement of principles on the important role sustainably managed forests and forest products can play in mitigating climate change. The organizations include American Forests, American Forest Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Alliance of Forest Owners, The Nature Conservancy, and the CEOs of 43 forestry businesses representing over 46 million acres of working forests across the United States. See the press release here.
FRA Forest Carbon Fact Sheets
The Forest Resources Association (FRA) has developed new fact sheets that show the role of forestland in sequestering and storing carbon. The fact sheets present the status and trends in forest carbon storage and sequestration using data from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis program. These fact sheets are a useful tool to show the importance of managed forestlands to address climate change mitigation at the national, regional, and state levels.
See the FRA forest carbon report for Florida and other states here
USDA OFFERS DISASTER ASSISTANCE TO LANDOWNERS AND AG PRODUCERS IMPACTED BY HURRICANE SALLY
Hurricane Sally’s flooding and high winds impacted agricultural operations in Florida and surrounding states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers, landowners, and livestock producers recover. Contact your local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in recovery from crop, land, infrastructure and livestock losses and damages. Read more on available assistance programs here.
FUNDING AVAILABLE FROM THE NATURE CONSERVANCY (TNC) TO TREAT COGONGRASS IN CENTRAL PANHANDLE REGION OF FLORIDA
Do you have a cogongrass problem on property in Calhoun, Gadsden, or Liberty Counties? The TNC North Florida Program has funding for 120 total acres of cogongrass treatment in counties surrounding the Apalachicola National Forest. Private landowners in Calhoun, Gadsden, and Liberty Counties who would like to be considered for this funding should contact Brian Pelc, (850) 222-0199 x103, bpelc@tnc.org
What does cogongrass look like? See this identification guide for cogongrass.
SIGN UP FOR FLORIDA LAND STEWARD EMAIL UPDATES
Don’t miss out on news and events! Sign up for the regular email updates! Send an email to Chris at cdemers@ufl.edu to be added to the email listserv. Florida Land Steward email updates are sent once a week or every other week and include the latest calendar of workshops, tours and other events; a link to the current issue of this quarterly newsletter; updates on cost-share and other assistance programs, opportunities, and resources; and other stewardship related news and information.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND WEBINARS
See our Events Calendar and News page for upcoming events, webinars, webinar and event materials, and the latest news on assistance programs and other opportunities and information.
HAVE AN EVENT OR RELATED NEWS TO SHARE?
Drop a line with the details and link(s) to Chris Demers at cdemers@ufl.edu.
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