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Longleaf Pine Restoration Funds Available as Cost-Share Grants to Landowners

The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) has been awarded a $300,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant to continue longleaf pine restoration efforts in Alabama. The grant was awarded on October 19, 2009, through a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and will be made available to qualifying landowners for longleaf pine restoration on private lands.

Landowners are encouraged to submit applications to receive assistance with seedlings and/or planting costs. The ARRA funding will cost-share up to 50 percent of the total cost of the seedlings and/or planting. For landowners to be considered eligible to receive funding, the property must be within the historic range of longleaf pine in Alabama, or contain suitable soils to support longleaf pine. Program details include: no minimum acreage, cutover sites, and agricultural sites are eligible. The site preparation for planting must already be completed, and planting cannot exceed 435 trees per acre on selected projects.

The ARRA funds are administered to complement habitat restoration goals of the WFF Landowner Incentive Program and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. These programs provide financial and/or technical assistance to private landowners to conserve, manage or enhancing the habitats of species in greatest conservation need, including Alabama's longleaf pine population. The tentative deadline for applications is January 29, 2010. Planting will begin in winter 2009. For application information contract Traci George at 334-353-0503, or Traci.George@dcnr.alabama.gov.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com.