CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — State Conservationist Ivan Dozier announced that the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer funding to improve oak-hickory forest stands through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
NRCS has partnered with the Illinois Forestry Development Council to help producers address resource concerns such as water quality and soil health. Landowners can apply for assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to implement forest stand improvement, brush management, herbaceous weed control and tree/shrub establishment practices.
The project focus is to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality by improving oak-hickory forest in the following 37 counties: Adams, Alexander, Brown, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Hancock, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Lawrence, Lee, Massac, McDonough, Ogle, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Richland, Saline, Schuyler, Stephenson, Union, Wabash, Whiteside, and Williamson.
The NRCS oak-hickory forestry project through RCPP will be available to producers throughout Illinois who are in the above-mentioned counties and are interested in installing any or all of the previously mentioned practices. To take advantage of this special conservation funding opportunity, interested producers should submit an application to their local NRCS field office by the cutoff date of October 19, 2018. Producers are reminded that they can submit an EQIP application to their local field office at any time throughout the year.
To see if you are eligible to participate in the program, producers should contact their local NRCS field office or visit the Illinois NRCS website at www.il.nrcs.usda.gov.
— USDA NRCS
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