BANGOR — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial assistance to agricultural producers and private landowners enrolled in its Conservation Reserve Program to improve the health of their forests.

The Forest Management Incentive, available through USDA’s Farm Service Agency, can help participants with forest management practices, such as brush management and prescribed burning.

“Healthy forests offer many benefits, from providing habitat for wildlife to sequestering carbon,” FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said in a news release from the Bangor-based agency. “Through the Forest Management Incentive, USDA’s Farm Service Agency provides an additional forest improvement tool to producers participating in the Conservation Reserve Program. This incentive enhances the Conservation Reserve Program’s environmental benefits and helps protect our country’s natural resources.”

The Forest Management Incentive is available to participants with active CRP contracts with forest cover that are not within two years of expiring. The incentive is a payment to eligible CRP participants who properly completed authorized forest management practice activities to improve the condition of resources, promote forest management and enhance wildlife habitat.

Forest management practices include brush management, herbaceous weed control, prescribed burning, firebreaks, development of early successional habitat and forest stand improvement. Additional information is available in the Forest Management Incentive fact sheet at fsa.usda.gov.

Participants can submit offers for the incentive. Interested producers should contact the FSA at their local USDA Service Center.

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