HURRICANE HELENE DISASTER RECOVERY

The impacts of this storm are still being assessed. Hurricane Helene made landfall late last Thursday night, September 26 in the eastern Big Bend area of Florida. This powerful storm devastated many communities in this region of Florida and continued its path of destruction through GA, and into the Appalachian Mountains where extremely heavy rains caused deadly flooding and landslides. The impacts there are unprecedented.

As of this writing, many in the hardest hit areas of Florida are still without power and in survival mode as result of this storm. Federal and state agencies have or will likely authorize recovery assistance for those impacted by this storm. In the meantime, and if this is feasible for you at this point, it’s a good time to review key assistance contacts and strategies to recover value and minimize economic losses to timber within weeks and months after a hurricane. See our on-demand webinar about hurricane recovery.

USDA offers a variety of programs to help farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, communities, and businesses that have been hard hit by natural disaster events. Visit farmers.gov for all available USDA disaster recovery programs. See our on-demand webinar about USDA Disaster Recovery Programs.

FEMA has a website dedicated to Hurricane Helene recovery assistance: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricane-helene

Hurricane season continues through November 30.  Keep an eye on the tropics at the NOAA Hurricane Center.

FLORIDA PANTHER PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES PILOT PROGRAM NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT

Apply by October 19, 2024

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has launched the Florida Panther Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) pilot program. The program will benefit private landowners and the panther population by providing per-acre payments for habitat conditions supporting panther conservation and landscape connectivity. Landowners within the following counties are eligible for participation: Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Osceola, Polk and Sarasota. Applications for enrollment will be accepted from Sept. 19 to Oct. 19, 2024.

Interested landowners can learn more or apply for the Florida Panther PES here. Contact program staff at PES@MyFWC.com.

SIGN UP OPEN FOR USDA NRCS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM AND CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM

Apply by November 1, 2024

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida announces Fiscal Year 2025 (October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025) federal assistance opportunities for agricultural producers, including through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). While NRCS accepts applications year-round, Florida producers and landowners should apply no later than November 1, 2024, to be considered for funding in the current FY2025 cycle. Applications received after this signup period will be automatically considered for future funding cycles.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) can help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. It provides financial and technical assistance to address natural resource concerns. Benefits include conserving water; enhancing wildlife habitat; improving air, soil and water quality; mitigating impacts from climate change; and preventing soil erosion.

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is for is the largest conservation program for working lands in the country. This program helps landowners and producers enhance natural resources and improve their business operation. Landowners can earn CSP payments for conservation performance. You can get paid for conservation practices you may already be doing.

Applications are available at your local USDA Service Center or online on the Get Started with NRCS web page.

Several Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Opportunities Now Available in North Florida – Applications due November 1, 2024

Through RCPP, NRCS co-invests with partners to implement conservation projects for specific goals in specific regions. To apply for RCPP, land must be located within a project area and land management activities must address the resource concerns identified as the goal of the project. NRCS Florida has serval RCPP projects offering land management assistance opportunities for private landowners. For more details on these assistance opportunities and where they are, see this NRCS RCPP news release.

SIGN UP OPEN FOR USDA NRCS AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION EASEMENT PROGRAM (ACEP)

Apply by October 4, 2024 (first batching period) or December 20, 2024 (second batching period)

Florida landowners and eligible entities may apply at any time, but to be considered for the FY 2025 funding opportunities, applications must be received by these dates for both Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) and Agricultural Land Easements (ALE): Friday, October 4, 2024 – First batching period; or Friday, December 20, 2024 – Second batching period.

ACEP protects the agricultural viability and related conservation values of eligible land by limiting non-agricultural uses which negatively affect agricultural uses and conservation values. ACEP protects grazing uses and related conservation values by restoring or conserving grazing land, as well as protecting, restoring, and enhancing wetlands. See this USDA NRCS ACEP news release for more details about these easement opportunities.

Applications are available at your local USDA Service Center or online on the Get Started with NRCS web page.

GULF COASTAL PLAIN ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIP (GCPEP) LONGLEAF PINE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

The GCPEP Longleaf Assistance Program includes incentives for longleaf establishment, stand improvement, and prescribed fire. It is available to landowners within the GCPEP project area. This includes Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Holmes Counties west of the Choctawhatchee River in Florida; and Baldwin, Escambia, Covington, Conecuh, Coffee, and Geneva and Dale Counties west of the Choctawhatchee River in Alabama. Habitat improvements must be within existing longleaf stands, mixed stands, or to establish new longleaf forests. Incentives can cover up to $100/ac. for establishment, up to $50/ac. for stand improvement, or $15/ac for prescribed fire, not to exceed 50% of landowner costs. For more information contact the Program Coordinator: Jacob Barrett, jacob@longleafalliance.org, (478) 230-4761.

CONGRATULATIONS FLOYD VANZANT: 2024 JON GOULD FLORIDA OUTSTANDING TREE FARMER OF THE YEAR!

The Florida Tree Farm Program is proud to recognize Mr. Floyd Vanzant as the 2024 Jon Gould Florida Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year. Each year, a certified Tree Farm out of the 1,300 in Florida, is selected for demonstrating exceptional forest stewardship to protect and improve our forest resources and promoting forest stewardship within their community. Read more about this recognition and the Vanzant family forest here.

Join us for a tour of the Vanzant property on October 24, 2024. Meet Floyd Vanzant and the family, witness a 7-generation family farm legacy, and learn about the economic and environmental benefits of a silvopasture operation. Find more about the Vanzant Tree Farm tour and registration here.

NEW VIDEOS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ON MYFLORIDAFOREST.LAND

A collaboration between the Florida Forest Service, Florida Forestry Association, the University of Florida, and filmmakers from Untamed Science; the goal of this series to help keep Florida’s forests working for you. This series is just starting. New videos about birds, conservation easements, medicinal plants, and heirs property have been added to this. Find these and all the features so far at https://myflforest.land/

ENROLL IN THE ONLINE FOREST LANDOWNER ACADEMY

Need a good self-paced primer on forestry and forest stewardship? Don’t have time to attend workshops and other events? The UF/IFAS School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Science’s online Forest Landowner Academy is for you. The direct link to enroll is https://ifas-sfrc-for.catalog.instructure.com/courses/for-fla.

Questions about the course can be directed to Chris Demers, cdemers@ufl.edu, (352) 846-2375; or Michael Andreu, mandreu@ufl.edu.

GET 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 the quarterly Florida Land Steward newsletter; updates on cost-share and other assistance programs, opportunities, and resources; and other stewardship related news and information.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

See our Events Calendar and News page for upcoming events and ongoing programs, initiatives, and opportunities.

ACCESS THE QUARTERLY FLORIDA LAND STEWARD NEWSLETTER ONLINE

Access the current and back issues of the quarterly Florida Land Steward newsletter here.

HAVE AN EVENT OR RELATED NEWS TO SHARE?

Drop a line with the details and link(s) to Chris at cdemers@ufl.edu.

CONSIDER A GIFT IN SUPPORT OF THE UF/IFAS FLORIDA LAND STEWARD PROGRAM

The mission of the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program is to help and encourage private landowners to actively manage their land resources for long-term environmental, economic, and social benefits. This program is largely supported by partners and donors. If this program has made a difference in your land stewardship efforts, please consider a gift.  Support the UF/IFAS Florida Land Steward Program here. Thanks!