By Eagle Times Staff
COLCHESTER, VT – Farm Service Agency State Executive Director John Roberts has announced that all Vermont County FSA offices are approved to accept applications for Emergency Forest Restoration Program assistance to address damages from the July rainstorms that caused flooding and land instability in Vermont counties.
The program provides cost-sharing payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest land to restore land damaged by a natural disaster. The signup period ends on Nov. 8.
“It is important that producers apply for EFRP assistance timely because program funds will be allocated based on the number of applications received as well as by on-site inspections that will determine the extent of the damage,” said Roberts. “I encourage eligible landowners who haven’t participated in FSA programs to contact their local FSA office as soon as possible because FSA records will have to be created for these individuals.”
After applications are received, local FSA county committees determine land eligibility using on-site damage inspections that assess the type and extent of damage and approve applications.
Producers with damage from this weather event should apply for assistance prior to beginning reconstructive work. However, producers may still be eligible to participate if restoration work has already been started. Reconstruction can include obstruction removal, site preparation, conservation cover, tree planting, Fencing, roads and other structures.
To meet eligibility requirements, the land must have existing tree cover or had tree cover immediately before the qualifying natural disaster and be sustainable for growing trees. The land must be owned or leased by a nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land. The natural disaster must have resulted in damage that if untreated would impair or endanger the natural resources on the land and/or materially affect future use of the land.
For more information, contact the Farm Service Agency. County office contact information can be found using the Service Center Locator tool at https://www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator.
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