Financial Assistance for Small Forest Landowners With Storm Damage
The deadline for the Special Storm Damage EQIP sign-up has passed. If you’re interested in learning more about how to manage storm damaged timber on your land in Pacific, Grays Harbor, or Wahkiakum Counties, please contact Mike Nystrom or Tony Sachet at the phone numbers provided lower on this page. The deadline to sign-up for the regular 2009 EQIP has also passed. In the future, please visit the NRCS website at http://www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov/ to find out about EQIP deadlines.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers who face threats to soil, water, air, plants and other natural resources on their land.
Under EQIP, the NRCS will allocate a special natural disaster fund from the 2009 general fund to provide incentives to help private landowners re-establish damaged forest stands and offset financial losses incurred from the December 2007 storm. All landowners that sustained damage are eligible, even those that salvaged and were able to recoup some financial value. Financial and technical assistance may be available for:
- Removal and treatment of damaged timber and slash
- Site preparation
- Tree planting
- Seedling damage protection
- Treatment of pests and competing vegetation during the initial establishment phase.
- Other resource concerns, such as maintaining some wildlife enhancements created by the storm.
The process to become eligible for EQIP funding starts by submitting a signed application to the NRCS. View the EQIP application eligibilty checklist for a complete listing of the forms and steps necessary to qualify. The application deadline for landowners to receive EQIP financial assistance is July 15, 2008. The NRCS will help landowners apply for EQIP and will hold the contract with the landowner to do the planned work on the forest land. Incentive payments will come from the NRCS. Contact your nearest NRCS office for questions about EQIP.
NRCS Service Center
1216 Robert Bush Dr
South Bend, WA 98586 (360) 875-6300
(360) 875-6280 fax | NRCS Service Center 330 Pioneer Avenue W
Montesano, WA 98563
(360) 249-5900
(360) 249-6961 fax | NRCS Service Center 2125 8th Avenue Longview, WA 98632
(360) 425-1880
(360) 578-0811 fax |
After submitting an EQIP application to the NRCS, the landowner should contact the nearest Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to complete the eligibility process for federal financial assistance.
Chehalis FSA Service Center
1554 Bishop Road Suite 100
Chehalis, WA 98532 (360) 748-0083
(360) 740-9745 fax | Brush Prairie FSA Service Center 11104 NE 149th St Bldg C Brush Prairie, WA 98606
(360) 883-1987
(360) 885-2284 fax |
Once an application for EQIP has been approved, the landowner will work with DNR to plan the necessary activities to rehabilitate their forest. Washington Department of Natural Resources(DNR) staff will be able to meet with the landowner on site to assess the damage and plan the management activities including preparing and submitting a Forest Practices Application.
For questions regarding small forest landowner assistance programs contact:
Michael Ahr
Educational Outreach Specialist
DNR Small Forest Landowner Office
sflo@dnr.wa.gov
(360) 902-1849