NRCS Cost Sharing and Other Opportunities

Creating your forest management plan and then putting it into practice takes technical knowledge, financial resources, and time. Fortunately, there are cost-sharing and other programs designed to help woodland owners make their plans a reality.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service can help you pay to have a management plan written through a cost-sharing program designed for woodland owners. If you qualify, you must have your plan written by an NRCS-approved Technical Service Provider, or TSP. You can find a list of TSPs through your local NRCS Service Center or through the NRCS online TSP registry.

Once you have a plan, the NRCS also provides cost-sharing opportunities to implement it.

EQIP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, provides financial and technical assistance to landowners for planning and implementing conservation practices that improve soil, air, water, plant, wildlife, and related resources on their forestland. The assistance is given through contracts that are up to 10 years in length.

CSP, the Conservation Stewardship Program, is for landowners who are planning and implementing activities that support conservation, and assistance is based on their conservation performance and acreage.

Having a forest management plan is a requirement to qualify for most cost-sharing programs, so it’s important to take that first step. And there are other sources of assistance available to help you get started with your plan, beyond cost-sharing opportunities.