| News & Info Brief USDA FUNDS PROJECTS TO RESTORE LONGLEAF PINE FOREST, ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITAT IN FLORIDA
High-impact projects across all 50 states, including Florida, will receive more than $370 million as part of the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program, administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The program’s public-private partnership enables companies, communities and other non-government entities to further conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife on a regional scale. Partners provide matching funding, with the total budget to be spent in five years. In Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will lead the Regional Partnership for Conservation of Gopher Tortoise and At-Risk Species Habitat, an endeavor to save and protect threatened and endangered species by restoring dwindling habitat within almost five million acres in Polk, Osceola, Okeechobee, Highlands, Hardee, Desoto and Glades counties. The $2 million project will provide support for conservation planning, outreach and technical assistance through NRCS programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Multiple partners with forestry and wildlife expertise will apply conservation practices to improve forest stands, conduct prescribed burning, plant field borders, develop early successional habitat and restore rare or declining habitats. This effort will target the gopher tortoise, Florida panther, Florida grasshopper sparrow and other threatened and endangered species. In addition to this project, Florida will benefit from three national-level projects with one or more other states: The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Rivers Conservation Partnership led by the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District in Georgia will improve water quality and quantity in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, with a proposed budget of $8 million. The Coastal Headwaters Forest – Longleaf Conservation and Restoration Partnership led by The Conservation Fund will acquire conservation easements and restore native longleaf pine in Florida and Alabama with a proposed budget of $10 million. Water quality and quantity to the Gulf of Mexico will be protected. Securing Private Working Forests to Benefit Longleaf Pine, Threatened and Endangered Species and Military Readiness is led by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. The partners will target 20,000 acres of working longleaf in South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana with a proposed budget of $24 million. “Projects are led locally, and demonstrate the value of strong public-private partnerships that deliver solutions to tough natural resource challenges,” said Russell Morgan, Florida state conservationist for NRCS. To learn about technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or visit a local USDA service center.
2015 FLORIDA LAND STEWARD CALENDARS ARE IN
Available at some upcoming events. A limited supply is still available to send to farmers/landowners. Interested farmers/landowners can send an email to cdemers@ufl.edu with your mailing address if you’d like to a copy sent. First come first serve while supplies last.
TAX TIPS FOR FOREST LANDOWNERS FOR THE 2014 TAX YEAR - UPDATED IN DECEMBER
Tax laws on timber transactions are very specialized but important to timber owners in terms of the ongoing cost of owning and managing timber, forest stewardship and compliance to the tax law. This bulletin reviews the major federal income tax laws to help forest owners in filing their 2014 income tax returns. The information presented here is current as of December 2014. Don’t miss see the Feb 5 Webinar on this.
2014 TAX TIPS (pdf)
SIGN-UP FOR CONSERVATION INITIATIVES
Florida landowners and agricultural producers can apply for financial assistance until March 20 for financial assistance to make natural resource improvements through several specific initiatives. The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida has designated funding for longleaf pine forests, seasonal high tunnels, pollinators, water quality, organic farming, on-farm energy and gopher tortoise habitat. Farmers and ranchers can apply through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The first step to enrolling is to develop a conservation plan with a NRCS specialist. Contact your local field office in Florida. Learn more about participating in conservation programs at www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.
USDA SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON NEW EQIP RULE
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is publishing a rule that outlines how it will improve the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), one of USDA’s largest conservation programs. The interim final rule includes program changes authorized by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill. USDA has established a 60-day comment period for the rule. The rule available in regulations.gov – search EQIP on the main page. Public comments can be submitted through this site or by mailing them. Comments are due by Feb. 10, 2015. The changes are intended to simplify the EQIP regulation regarding conservation practice scheduling, payment limitations and other administrative actions. For more information about interim final rules for USDA NRCS’s Farm Bill conservation programs, visit EQIP Rule Page. For more information on technical and financial assistance available through EQIP, visit the EQIP Web page.
COGONGRASS TREATMENT COST-SHARE PROGRAM NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Applications accepted through Feb. 27 to remove cogongrass. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Florida Forest Service is now accepting applications for the Cogongrass Treatment Cost-Share Program. Cogongrass is an invasive, non-native grass, which occurs in Florida and several other southeastern states. Cogongrass infestations negatively affect tree regeneration, growth and survival, as well as wildlife habitat, native plant diversity, forage quality and property values. They also increase the risk of wildfires and alter fire behavior.
The Cogongrass Treatment Cost-Share Program is offered for non-industrial private lands in all Florida counties. It provides reimbursement of 50 percent of the cost to treat Cogongrass infestations for two consecutive years. Applicants who wish to conduct treatments in 2015 may apply through Feb. 27, 2015. To learn more about this program and obtain an application form, contact a local Florida Forest Service office or visit http://www.FloridaForestService.com. All qualifying applications will be evaluated and ranked for approval. This program is
NEW FOREST STEWARDSHIP VIDEOS - VIEW AND SHARE!
All the new videos are on the Florida Forest Stewardship Program home page:
http://sfrc.ufl.edu/forest_stewardship
HAVE AN EVENT OR RELATED NEWS TO SHARE?
Drop a line to Chris Demers, cdemers@ufl.edu
More news and info at the Florida Land Steward Blog
| *** | EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south) | | January 23 | Small Scale Mushroom Production (pdf link), Live Oak, FL. To register online click here or for more information contact Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center at (386) 362-1725. | | January 23 | 2015 Timucuan Science & History Symposium: Looking Back 450 Years in the Place Where the Waters Meet (link), registration begins 8:00 am ET, Ribault Club on Fort George Island in Jacksonville, FL. The registration fee is currently $25 and will increase to $35 on January 1. See link above for details or contact the Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation, (904) 707-3584 | | February 26 | Forest Stewardship Workshop: Integrating Wildlife and Forestry (pdf link) , 9 am to 3 pm ET, Austin Cary Forest Learning Center, 10625 NE Waldo Rd, Gainesville, FL 32609. Details to come. Register online at http://fsp-workshop022615.eventbrite.com/
or contact Chris Demers, cdemers@ufl.edu, (352) 846-2375. | | March 13 | Cover Crop Test Plot Field Tour, 10 am to 1 pm ET, NRCS Brooksville Plant Material Center, 14119 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34601. The USDA NRCS Brooksville Plant Materials Center hosts a tour of research plots where they are collecting comprehensive data on the effect of various cover crop mixtures and suitability on soil quality and local growing conditions. Contact Janet Grabowski, (352) 796-9600, ext. 101 or janet.grabowski@fl.usda.gov | | March 16-17 | Starting a Successful Hydroponic Business (link), Live Oak, FL. To register online click here or more information contact Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center at (386 )362-1725. | | March 18-19 | Florida Urban Forestry Council Symposium: The Cost of Not Maintaining Trees (link), Patel Center of Global Sustainability, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. Two full days of talks, featuring some of the world’s leading experts in the fields of arboriculture, urban forestry, and utility vegetation management. Foresters, 12 Cat 1 SAF CFEs are approved. See link above for details and registration. Event contact is Sandy Temple, (407) 872-1738, fufc@aol.com | | March 20-21 | Starting a Successful Hydroponic Business (pdf link), Live Oak, FL. To register online click here or for more information contact Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center at (386) 362-1725. | | June 16-18 | Conference on Laurel Wilt Disease and Natural Ecosystems: Impacts, Mitigation and the Future (link), Coral Springs Marriott, 11775 Heron Bay Blvd. Coral Springs, FL. A timely opportunity to learn the most recent state of knowledge regarding laurel wilt, its biology, impacts in native ecosystems and efforts to mitigate for its devastating effects. Foresters, SAF CFEs pending approval. See link above for details. For a brief introduction to laurel wilt, see this video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x7vgFWLHkY | | WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west) | | January 15, 22, 29 | 2015 Small Farm Series: Organic Vegetable Production (pdf link), Hosted in counties across the Northwest FL Extension District. For more information see link above or contact your UF/IFAS Extension Office. | | February 11 | 30th Annual Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show, 7:30 am CT, UF/IFAS Jackson County Extension Office, in the Agriculture Conference Center, 2741 Pennsylvania Avenue, Marianna, FL. Program theme is Investing in the Future of Your Herd: investments worth considering, pasture mgmt, supplemental feeding, financial mgmt and more, concludes with a steak lunch. There is a $5 per person registration fee for the event, payable at the door. For more information on the Beef Conference, or exhibiting in the Trade Show, contact Doug Mayo, (850) 482-9620, demayo@ufl.edu | | REGIONAL EVENTS, WEBINARS, ONLINE TRAINING | | January 22, 2015 | Webinar: Cover Crop Economics Decision Support Tool (link), 2 pm ET, see link for details. | | January 25-27 | Southeastern Society of American Foresters Annual Meeting - "Southern Forestry Environmental Issues: Water Quality and Beyond", King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, St. Simons Island, GA. Landowners and foresters are invited to get the latest information on federal and state environmental issues and how they impact southern forestry operations and businesses. Pre-registration rate is $245 for SAF members and $300 for non-members, available through January 7. Details and registration at http://sesaf.org/ | | January 27 | Webinar: Conservation Biological Control: Habitat Management to Control Pests (link), 2 pm ET, see link for details. | | January 28 | Webinar: Conservation Planning for Diverse Vegetable Rotations: Tools and Issues (link), 2:00 pm ET, see link for details. | | January 29 | Webinar: Planning in the Face of Change, an Urban Forestry Webinar Series: Urban Wood Resource (link), 10:00 am ET, see link for details. | | February 5 | Webinar: Timber Tax Update for the 2014 Tax Year (link), 2:00 pm ET, see link for details. | | February 5-6 | 32nd Annual Georgia Farmers Conference: Cooperatives: Leading, Serving & Growing Rural Communities (link), Hilton Garden Inn, 101 S Front St, Albany, GA 31701 31701. Hosted by the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund. This conference will host over 250 farmers, ranchers, landowners and supporters from across the South and provide current information on cooperatives, USDA programs, marketing, legal, risk management, conservation, and other agricultural issues that are vital to farmers. See link above for details. | | February 24 | Webinar: Reed Canarygrass: Research and Control Methods (link), 2:00 pm ET, see link for details. | | February 25 | Webinar: Stream Channel Repair and Restoration Following Extreme Flooding Damage, Part 1 - Background and Planning (link), 2 pm ET, see link for details. | | March 2-15
and
March 17-20 | Natural Areas Training Academy: S130/190 Basic Wildland Firefighter Training (link), presented in a hybrid format online, Waccasassa Forestry Center, Gainesville FL and Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, Melrose FL.. $125 General Registration, $100 - Student Registration. See link for details and registration. | | March 16 -
April 15 | Natural Areas Training Academy: Conservation Site Assessment & Planning (link), online: March 16 - April 10, 2015; In-person: April 14-15, 2015, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station. Presented in a hybrid format, this workshop builds a foundation of skills useful in conducting site assessments and developing resource management plans. See link above for details and registration or contact the workshop coordinator, sefriedl@ufl.edu | | | | *** |
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