Forestland Health, a Resource Concern for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

The 2005 inventory of the forest resources in Kansas suggests that 47 percent of the total volume of hardwood or deciduous trees is cull, unusable for wood products because of defects or species type.

Though trees provide many other important benefits besides wood products, the high percentage of cull describes a natural resource that is largely unmanaged for any purpose according to Robert Atchison, rural forestry program coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service.

Since most people believe there are public environmental and economic benefits when trees are planted, the government provides financial opportunities to encourage landowners who might not otherwise implement such projects. Though landowners can benefit financially by planting and caring for trees, it is generally the second generation that reaps the rewards and the first that makes the investment.

Since 2005, the EQIP has awarded $200,000 to Kansas landowners interested in improving the health of their woodlands by planting or thinning trees. Because of the success of this program, an additional $100,000 is now available to Kansas landowners who live in the eastern one-third of the state.

Landowners located in the eastern part of the state may be reimbursed up to 50 percent of their costs for thinning, site preparation requiring heavy equipment, tree and nut planting, herbicide applications to control weeds and grass, weed barrier, and fencing and tree protectors for protection from wildlife or livestock damage. Counties eligible for forest stand improvement funding are: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clay, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson, and Wyandotte.

EQIP applications are accepted on a continuous basis; however, to be considered for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 funding, applications must be received by the NRCS county offices by December 15, 2006. Contract time length can range from one year past the implementation of the last practice up to 10 years. Landowners may apply for EQIP cost-share assistance following the process listed below.

How does the Kansas EQIP application process work?

The EQIP application process consists of the following six steps:

1. A landowner submits an application to a local USDA Service Center, NRCS office.
2. EQIP Self-Assessment Worksheet must be completed and returned to the NRCS office by application period cutoff date. The Self-Assessment Worksheet is available online or from your local NRCS office.
3. NRCS will refer you to your local district forester who will develop a forest management plan for your property.
4. NRCS ranks each application based the Forestland Health Evaluation Criteria.
5. NRCS allocates funds to applicants according to ranking order and develops contracts.
6. After contracts are signed by NRCS and the landowner, NRCS obligates funds to the project and the landowner may begin the project.

"The quality of our natural resources should be a concern to us all," stresses Atchison, "and EQIP provides exceptional financial incentives for forest landowners to improve the health of their woodlands."

Apply at Local NRCS Office

Information about 2007 EQIP is available on the Kansas NRCS Web site or is available at your local USDA Service Center from the NRCS or conservation district staff. This will include the Kansas EQIP Self-Assessment Worksheets for 2007, fact sheets, an application form, a list of eligible practices and average costs, and specifics on Kansas’s ranking process, including criteria used to evaluate applications.

Last Modified: 11/22/2006