Forest Conservation Easement Program: New Financial Support for Forest Landowners
This Act establishes a new federal Forest Conservation Easement Program, offering financial assistance to private forest landowners in exchange for placing permanent or long-term conservation easements on their land. The goal is to protect forests from non-forest development, enhance carbon sequestration, and safeguard habitats for at-risk species, directly impacting local environmental quality and biodiversity. The program replaces the existing Healthy Forests Reserve Program, ensuring continued protection for already enrolled lands.
Key points
Landowners can receive funding for selling conservation easements, which restricts future non-forest uses but allows for continued working forest production and related uses.
Higher federal cost-share rates (up to 75% of fair market value) are available for beginning, veteran, and socially disadvantaged forest landowners to encourage their participation.
The program features two types of easements: Forest Land Easements (managed by eligible entities like non-profits) and Forest Reserve Easements (managed by the Secretary of Agriculture), focusing on threatened and endangered species habitat protection.
A dedicated 10% funding allocation is set aside for historically underserved landowners, including beginning, veteran, and socially disadvantaged forest landowners.
Program participants are not prohibited from engaging in and receiving compensation from environmental services markets (e.g., carbon markets), provided it aligns with the program's conservation goals.
Expired
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