see FLEP on page 2

Inside Winter 2003 Agroforestry

Inside 

3-8

10-11

N a t i o n a l A g r o f o r e s t r y C e n t e r

FEDERAL FUNDING

OPPORTUNITIES

The 2002 Farm Bill has authorized theForest Service to launch a

$100,000,000 forestry program to assist

non-industrial private forest (NIPF)

landowners in what will be known as the

Forest Land Enhancement Program

(FLEP). Authorized for program years

2002-2007, the program has scheduled its

inaugural year for fiscal year 2003 and

funds will be administered through State

forestry agencies.

Agricultural resource professionals and

crop and livestock producers should not

overlook FLEP as a possible source of

assistance. FLEP is not limited for use

only on forested lands. Within the FLEP

legislation NIPF land is broadly defined

as having trees or being suitable for growing trees. Specific targeted activities

under FLEP include: 1) the establishment,

management, maintenance, and restoration of forests for shelterbelts, windbreaks, aesthetic quality, and other conFLEP Overview

New Program Gives

NIPF Owners Boost FLEP Assistance 

For Farmers

The establishment, management, maintenance, and

restoration of forests for 

shelterbelts, windbreaks, 

aesthetic quality, and other 

conservation purposes.

IN ADDITION

TO FINDING

OUT WHAT THE

2002 FARM BILL

HAS TO OFFER YOU, FIND OUT HOW TO PUT

PROGRAMS - AND WORKING

TREES - TO WORK FOR YOU:

STATE FUNDING

OPPORTUNITIES

PRIVATE FUNDING

OPPORTUNITIES

9

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Actof 2002 (Farm Bill) has been hailed as the

single most significant commitment of resources

toward conservation on private lands in the

Nation’s history. Private landowners will benefit

from a portfolio of voluntary assistance, including

cost-share, land rental, incentive payments, and

technical assistance. We gratefully acknowledge

Larry Godsey of the University of Missouri

Center for Agroforestry for his significant 

contributions to this issue of Inside

Agroforestry. (“Funding Incentives for

Agroforestry in Missouri” UMCA 5-2002) 
NIPF owners who wish to participate

in the cost-share component of FLEP

must complete one or more of the sustainable forestry practices available in their

State as described in a forest management

plan.

In each state, the State forester or their

representative will evaluate the management plans submitted by NIPF owners

and approve them for participation in

FLEP.

FLEP allows treatment of up to 1,000

acres per year per landowner and variances of up to 5,000 acres if significant

public benefits will accrue. The maximum

FLEP cost-share payment for any practice

is 75 percent. Program implementation

will commence 30 days after the publication of an interim rule in the Federal

Register (anticipated Spring 2003). 

You can keep current on FLEP by 

visiting this web site:

www.fs.usda.gov/spf/coop/flep.htm.

Adapted from a USDA Forest Service

briefing paper prepared by Hal

Brockman and Susan Stein, Cooperative

Forestry, USDA Forest Service.

The Farm Bill and Agroforestry

NAC Director’s Corner

A commentary on the status of agroforestry by NAC Director, Dr. Greg Ruark

2 Inside Agroforestry | Winter 2003

Agroforestry has come a long way in the United States. Itwas only recently in the 1990 Farm Bill that a center for

agroforestry was first authorized within USDA. Originally, it

began as a Forest Service effort in 1992 that focused on agroforestry in the Great Plains and was called the Center for

Semi-Arid Agroforestry. In 1995, the Center expanded into a

partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service

and was renamed the USDA National Agroforestry Center.

This expansion was due to the rapid growth of interest in agroforestry technology by landowners throughout the country. 

Today we see agroforestry practices being adopted in all

regions of the country. Alley cropping is being used in the

central states and to a lesser extent in some southern states,

while forest farming has found a home in the eastern half of

the country. The demand for silvopasture systems has

expanded dramatically in the southeast and is beginning to

take root in the northwest. Windbreaks are still being used to

protect soils and crops, but new designs are being used to

protect roadways from drifting snow, provide improved

wildlife habitat, store carbon, and provide screening for feedlots and other agricultural operations. Riparian forest buffers

are being designed to reduce agricultural runoff into surface

waters and, more recently, to help communities manage

stormwater runoff. 

The 2002 Farm Bill provides an increased level of support for

agroforestry. A greater number of conservation programs,

both public and private, now include cost sharing, incentive

and maintenance payments, and rental rates for agroforestry

practices. This issue highlights the many agroforestry opportunities within the 2002 Farm Bill, with state programs

and some non-government conservation organizations.

servation purposes, 2) the restoration, use,

and enhancement of forest wetland and

riparian areas, the protection of water

quality and watersheds through, among

other practices, planting of trees in riparian areas, and 3) to conduct energy conservation and carbon sequestration activities.

Through FLEP, State forestry agencies

can provide a wide array of educational,

technical and financial services that are

intended to ensure that the nation’s NIPF

land and related resources continue to

provide sustainable forest products and

safeguard the health of our water, air, and

wildlife. 

In each participating state, the State

Forester and State Forest Stewardship

Coordinating Committee will jointly

develop a State priority plan to promote

forest management objectives and

describe FLEP in their State. The State

priority plan will describe the cost-share

components that will be available to NIPF

landowners.

FLEP

continued from page 1 The U.S. Forest Service and

State forestry agencies are guided

by the following principles:

• Establish, manage, maintain, protect, 

enhance, and restore NIPF lands.

• Enhance the productivity of timber, 

habitat for flora and fauna, soil, water, 

air quality, wetlands, and riparian 

buffers of these lands.

• Assist owners and managers to more 

actively manage NIPF lands to enhance

and sustain the long-term productivity 

of timber and non-timber forest 

resources.

• Reduce the risk and help restore, 

recover and mitigate the damage to 

forests caused by fire, insects, invasive 

species, disease, and damaging weather.

• Increase and enhance carbon 

sequestration opportunities.

• Enhance implementation of 

agroforestry practices.

• Encourage and leverage State, Federal,

and local resource management expertise, 

financial assistance and educational 

programs that support FLEP.
Winter 2003 | Inside Agroforestry 3

The financial success of agroforestry practices doesnot depend on the availability of government funding programs, nor should it. However, funding programs

were developed as incentives for good stewardship and,

when properly designed and managed, agroforestry 

promotes good stewardship. Although there are more

funding programs than described in this newsletter, the

programs listed represent federal sources with the 

greatest application to agroforestry.

Changes in farm policy resulting from the 2002 Farm

Bill are included and they may be subject to further

change as the details of that policy are worked out over

the next few years. For more detailed and up-to-date

policies, contact the listed agencies sponsoring each 

program.

Most federal funding for agroforestry is administered through United States Department of Agriculture

agencies. The table on page five lists the federal

agency programs and available incentives by 

practice/benefit.

Federal Funding Support for Agroforestry

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Programs

The USDA/FSA has three major programs that can be used to establish and maintain

agroforestry practices on private land. They are the Conservation Reserve Program

(CRP), the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP), and in partnership

with some states, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Each of

these programs is designed to take environmentally sensitive and highly erodible land

out of production by offering a soil rental rate payment, cost-share for the 

establishment of various conservation practices and other financial incentives to

landowners who offer to set aside their land for periods of 10 or 15 years.

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

CRP is a voluntary program of land retirement that offers annual soil rental rate payments, cost share payments and annual maintenance payments. Enrollment in the

regular CRP can occur only during specific sign-up periods and landowners must

meet specific eligibility requirements. Of the ten CRP practices that include tree

planting, agroforestry is directly related to eight. Two practices, Tree Planting (CP3)

and Established Trees (CP11), could possibly be used to develop a silvopasture 

system. The Wildlife Habitat (CP4) practice could include windbreaks designed to

provide winter wildlife and livestock protection. The other five practices are clearly

designed for agroforestry. They are Field Windbreaks (CP5), Shelterbelts (CP16A),

Living Snow Fences (CP17A), Alley Cropping (CP19), and Riparian Buffers

(CP22). Most of these are described in more detail under the CCRP Program.

Alley cropping (CP19) allows a landowner the opportunity to plant trees and receive

CRP rental payments on a tract of land while still making an income from a crop

grown on the same tract of land. In order to earn an annual soil rental rate (SRR)

State Success:

CRP Supports Alley

Cropping in Idaho

Alley cropping, the growing of an annual or

perennial crop between rows of high value

trees, has not been applied commonly in recent

years. However, in Fiscal Year 2002, the Natural

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reported

about 3,600 acres of alley cropping nationwide.

The majority of the alley cropping was implemented through conservation technical assistance

provided by NRCS. About one third of the alley

cropping acres were applied with support from

one of the conservation incentive programs. 

For example, 107 acres of alley cropping were

established in Bonneville County Idaho using the

Conservation Reserve Programs. Dennis Hadley,

District Conservationist in Idaho Falls, reported

that the alley cropping was installed on a surface

irrigated border dike farm. “The dikes are about

50 feet apart, and he planted a single row of blue

spruce down the middle of each land with barley

on each side,” said Hadley. The blue spruce will

eventually be sold for landscape trees. As a tree is

removed and sold, it will be replaced with

a new seedling according to Hadley. The

barley crop is harvested each year and

replanted in the spring. continued on the next page
4 Inside Agroforestry | Winter 2003

payment and still produce a crop, the landowner must take at least a 50 

percent reduction in the average SRR payment for the land being enrolled.

For example, if the tree and grass width is 20 feet and the alley width is 40

feet, a landowner will have about one-third of an acre in trees and grass, generating a soil rental rate equivalent to one-half the full acre rate. Income from

crops can be generated on the remaining two-thirds of an acre. Further guidelines and tree species recommendations for alley cropping can be found in the

NRCS Alley Cropping Standard in the Field Office Technical Guide.

Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) 

The CCRP is a voluntary program that focuses on funding conservation practices protecting environmentally sensitive land, including wetlands and riparian

areas. Landowners with eligible land who wish to enroll that land in the CCRP

may sign-up at any time during the year. There are nineteen practices that are eligible for CCRP including four key agroforestry practices:

• Field Windbreaks (CP5A): Field windbreaks designed and funded under CP5A 

are eligible for Signing Incentive Program (SIP), Practice Incentive Program 

(PIP), 120 percent Soil Rental Rate (SRR), and annual maintenance payments. 

The number of rows, tree species, and spacing within the tree row is determined

by the desired purpose of the windbreak. Design characteristics for field wind

breaks are specified in NRCS Windbreak/Shelterbelt Standard.

• Shelterbelts (CP16A): Shelterbelts can be used to protect farmsteads or live

stock. Design characteristics allow for a 2- to 4-row shelterbelt for a farmstead 

or feedlot. For wildlife protection, a 5- to 10-row shelterbelt may be established.

• Living Snow Fences (CP17a): This specialized windbreak practice is intended 

to manage snow, provide a living screen and enhance wildlife habitat on farms 

and ranches. Incentives are similar to Field Windbreaks and the design must 

follow the NRCS Windbreak/Shelterbelt standard.

• Riparian Buffers (CP22): Riparian buffers are a priority for USDA. Under the 

requirements of the CCRP’s riparian forest buffer practice (CP22), landowners 

must establish at least a two-zone buffer. The total width of the riparian forest 

buffer will vary depending on the size of the stream and landowner objectives. 

NRCS Riparian Forest Buffer Standard identifies the guidelines for 

establishing a riparian forest buffer for the CCRP.

“This summer the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) just passed

their 300th mile of buffers [in Pennsylvania] under the Farm

Stewardship Program. When you add the miles of riparian buffers that

CBF has helped fund and deliver via the Pennsylvania Conservation

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), the grand total passes 600

miles! This fulfills Pennsylvania’s commitment under the Chesapeake

Bay agreement for riparian buffers for 2010. We just got there a little

early,” said David Wise, Restoration Specialist, Chesapeake Bay

Foundation, Pennsylvannia office.

Pennsylvania has an extensive partnership effort to plan and apply riparian forest buffers. Their partnership includes federal agencies such as

USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation

Service; State Agencies like the Pennsylvania Game Commission and

Bureau of Forestry; local organizations such as soil and water conservation districts; and numerous private organizations including the

Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and Mellon Foundation,

etc. Technical and financial assistance contributed through this partnership has resulted in hundreds of miles of riparian forest buffers. Most

counties have a varied combination of federal, state, local, and private

programs to meet their needs. The CREP program is available in 20

Chesapeake Bay Counties with probable expansion to the remaining

Chesapeake Bay Counties this spring.

According to Rich Shockey, NRCS Resource Conservationist, “The

acceptance of riparian forest buffers is growing in Pennsylvania. When we

first started planning riparian forest buffers, 35-foot wide buffers seemed

like a lot to ask for. Now, most buffers are 50, 70, and up to 180 feet wide,

and many areas include adjacent wetlands.” Shockey attributes the success

to the combination of good incentives and solid training for natural

resource professionals who assist Pennsylvania landowners. The training

was conducted with the help of the Stroud Water Research Center near

Avondale, Pennsylvania. “As many of these areas turn from mud

and/or manure to attractive vegetated areas, the demand for riparian forest buffers will continue to increase,” added Shockey.

Federal Funding Support for Agroforestry (continued)

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

(CREP) 

CREP is a joint Federal – State land retirement conservation program targeted to address local, state, and nationally significant agriculturally related environmental 

concerns. In addition to rental payments, CREP can also

be used to purchase permanent easements of development rights. About 24 states have approved CREP

authority. Opportunities for agroforestry will vary by

state depending on the targeted environmental concerns.

For current information about FSA conservation programs, visit their website: www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/

State Success: Riparian Forest Buffers Advance in Pennsylvania Through CREP
ALLEY RIPARIAN FOREST 

CROPPING BUFFER WINDBREAK SILVOPASTURE FARMING

FSA

CRP C/M/R

CCRP C/I/M/R/ C/I/M/R

CREP C/I/M/R/

NRCS

EQIP C/I C/I C/I C C

WRP C/R/

CSP C/R C/R C/R C/R

FS

FLEP C C C C C

CSREES

SARE PG PG PG PG PG

Winter 2003 | Inside Agroforestry 5

State Success:

Partnership Saves Lives on Minnesota Highways

A shrub living snow fence

protects a county road from

drifting snow. Opposite

page, top: A field windbreak

protects a winter wheat

crop. Opposite page, 

bottom: Seedling tubes 

protecting recently planted

American Chestnut trees

planted for the enhancement of a riparian buffer.

Amajor safety concern on Minnesota’s roadways during the winter months is blowing

and drifting snow. In the past, wooden snow

fences have been placed to interrupt snow drifts.

However, living snow fences comprised of plant

materials such as grasses, shrubs and trees are

more cost effective than structural fences and 

provide additional conservation benefits.

Establishment of living snow fences offers the

unique opportunity to market a conservation 

practice whose primary purpose is to provide

public safety.

Through an interagency partnership of programs

and services - USDA’s Conservation Reserve

Program, Minnesota Department of

Transportation’s Living Snow Fence Agreement,

and the technical expertise from soil and water

conservation districts and the Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) – the number of

living snow fences planted on private lands in

Minnesota will increase. A Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) signed by the Farm

Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS), Minnesota

Association of Soil and Water Conservation

Districts (MASWCD) and Minnesota

Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has

combined financial and human resources to better

market a living snow fence program along

Minnesota’s state highways. 

This MOU outlines a CREP-like program to

establish living snow fences in all but seven

counties of the state. Through this arrangement Local Work Groups are empowered to

use the Continuous Conservation Reserve

Program (CCRP), with enhanced payments

from MN/DOT, to establish the CP-17A

Living Snow Fence practice on identified 

priority locations along state and federal highways. The Local Work Group process will be

expanded to include representatives from

MN/DOT who bring expert knowledge of

where snow trap and blowing snow problems

exist.

The enhanced payments from MN/DOT will

include additional compensation to landowners: 

•At a rate equal to 50% of the CCRP annual 

rental rate but no less than $30 per acre per 

year.

•To actively grow and maintain the snow fence

planting at a rate of $0.20 per lineal foot of 

planting per year.

•To provide cost share for the use of geotextile 

fabric (plastic mulch) on all plantings through

out the state. 

The cooperating agencies are very excited

about the potential of Minnesota’s Living Snow

Fence Program. The MOU is the catalyst that

has empowered these agencies to work together

now and into the future to provide landowners

with this rewarding opportunity. This new

arrangement benefits landowners and their

communities, as well as all Minnesota citizens,

because living snow fences “save lives, save

money, and save time.”

USDA Programs for Agroforestry

C = Cost Share 

I = Incentive

M = Maintenance

PG = Producer Grant

R = Rental

Adapted from: 

L. Godsey. 2002.

University of

Missouri, Center for

Agroforestry 5-2002 
6 Inside Agroforestry | Winter 2003

Federal Funding Support for Agroforestry (continued)

USDA Natural Resource

Conservation Service

(NRCS) Programs

The USDA/NRCS has four

main programs that offer funds

for tree planting and agroforestry. In conjunction with the

funding programs noted, the

USDA/NRCS also provides technical

assistance to landowners who are interested in conservation

planning and application. In each state, NRCS seeks input

about administering these programs through State Technical

Committees and Local Work Groups.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) 

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) was

reauthorized in the 2002 Farm Bill to provide a voluntary 

conservation program for farmers and ranchers that promotes

agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible national goals. EQIP offers financial and technical assistance to help eligible participants install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land.

EQIP offers contracts of one- to 10-years that provide incentive payments and cost-shares to implement conservation

practices.

Sixty percent of the annual national EQIP funding is designated for environmental concerns associated with livestock 

production. EQIP contracts provide cost-share payments for

the establishment of conservation practices. The cost share

rate will be determined at the state level up to a maximum of

75 percent. However, limited-resource or beginning farmers

and ranchers may be eligible for up to a 90 percent cost-share. 

Since the reauthorization of EQIP added non-industrial 

private forests as eligible land, funding for certain practices

that are not specifically considered agroforestry, could assist

landowners trying to implement an agroforestry practice. For

example, in Missouri, the following practices are eligible: 

forest site preparation, forest stand improvement, tree/shrub

establishment, tree/shrub pruning, forest harvest trails and

landings, and wildlife upland habitat management. These

practices could be utilized by someone considering silvopasture or forest farming.

Wetland Reserve Program (WRP)

WRP is a voluntary land retirement program designed to

establish and improve wetland areas. Restoration of wetlands

includes the planting of trees and shrubs. However, the trees

and shrubs planted must be commonly found in wetland

areas. In some cases, WRP land may even be grazed, cut for

hay or harvested for wood products, providing wetland values

are maintained.

Agroforestry Opportunities with EQIP

Agroforestry practices and systems that can be funded

through EQIP include: alley cropping, riparian forest

buffers, silvopasture, forest farming, and windbreaks.

In fiscal year 2002, NRCS reported that EQIP funded:

• Riparian Forest Buffers

in 43 states and territories

• Windbreak/Shelterbelts

in 23 states and territories

• Alley Cropping

in two states and one territory

EQIP can be used to establish

windbreaks to protect Animal

Feeding Operations (AFOs).
Winter 2003 | Inside Agroforestry 7

Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)

WHIP is a program designed to develop and improve

wildlife habitat on private land. Under WHIP, the

landowner and USDA/NRCS enter into a 5- to 10-year

agreement that pays the landowner up to 75 percent of the

cost to establish wildlife habitat practices.

Conservation Security Program (CSP)

CSP, established by the 2002 Farm Bill, is designed to provide payments to producers for adopting or maintaining a wide range of management, vegetative, and land-based structural practices that address

one or more resources of concern, such as soil, water, or wildlife

habitat. Cropland, grazing land, and forestland that is an incidental

part of the agricultural operation is eligible for the CSP program. 

Producers can participate in the CSP at one of three tiers (levels).

Higher tiers require a greater conservation effort and offer greater

payments. Payments consist of a base payment and a cost share 

payment. 

Agroforestry Potential with WHIP

In fiscal year 2002, NRCS reported that the following

agroforestry practices were applied using the WHIP:

Agroforestry practices can be incorporated into the conservation security plan in order to meet certain goals. For example, if converting a portion of cropland from a soil-depleting to a soil-conserving use is the

goal, the incorporation of alley cropping or field windbreaks into the

conservation management system could be one alternative.

The Conservation Security Program is going through the formal rule

making process. The program will not be available until after publication of the final rule.

For current information about all the NRCS programs, visit their website at: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/products.html 

• Riparian Forest Buffers

in 29 states

• Windbreak/Shelterbelts

in 15 states

• Hedgerows in 9 states

Other practices supported by

WHIP can put existing timber

stands under management, which

could help develop a forest 

farming system.

Sustainable

Agriculture Research

and Education

Program (SARE)

SARE funds are designed to help increase farmer and

rancher knowledge and adoption of practices that are 

“economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially

responsible.” SARE assigns funds based on several competitive grants programs. Proposals submitted for funding

through SARE are peer reviewed by regional administrative councils.

Of the grants available through SARE, only the producer

grant and on-farm research grants are aimed at the

landowner. Maximum funding levels are $5,000 and

$15,000, respectively. Agroforestry practices can be 

economically viable, environmentally sound and socially

responsible. Therefore, landowners who want to try an

agroforestry innovation can apply for SARE funding.

However, due to the competitive grant process, there is no

guarantee that a landowner’s proposal will be accepted. To

find out more about SARE producer grant applications and

tips on how to write a winning proposal, visit SARE’s

website at www.sare.org

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

(USFWS) Funding Incentive

USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) 

The PFW Program emphasizes native habitat restoration on an

ecosystem and landscape scale, including riparian corridors,

in-stream habitat, wetlands, upland native grasslands, and 

others. The goal of PFW is to help conserve, protect, and

enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. 

For more information on the PFW program, visit the US Fish

and Wildlife Service website: http://partners.fws.gov
The West Virginia

Division of

Forestry and the

local NRCS host

a producer field

day to examine

mushroom forest

farming systems. 

8 Inside Agroforestry | Winter 2003

Federal Funding Support for Agroforestry (continued)

USDA Forest Service (FS)

Program for Forestry and

Agroforestry

The USDA Forest Service has one 

program that supports private land

management and agroforestry 

practices. The Forest Land

Enhancement Program (FLEP) is a

new program established by the 2002

Farm Bill that emphasizes sustainable

management of private woodlots and other

non-industrial forested acres.

West Virginia incorporated forest farming into the implementation of the Agricultural Management Assistance

(AMA) program. AMA is available in 15 states with historically low participation in the Federal Crop Insurance Program.

One of AMA’s goals is to mitigate risk through production

diversification or resource conservation practices. West

Virginia NRCS in cooperation with the West Virginia Division

of Forestry offered AMA cost share funds for timber stand

improvement. 

According to Barbara McWhorter, West Virginia NRCS

Forester, “The intent is to encourage landowners to improve

their timber stand while at the same time create an environment

that would allow production of special forest products, thereby

diversifying an operation. Through timber stand improvement,

the daylight regime in the forest is altered to allow growth of

medicinal plants such as ginseng and goldenseal.” In addition to

cost share assistance, the West Virginia University Extension

Service, the Center for Sustainable Resources and others are

offering landowners assistance with ginseng and goldenseal

production methods. 

Fred Hays, Director of the Center for Sustainable Resources,

assists landowners who have requested cost share assistance

through AMA. He has also used the former Stewardship

Incentives Program to enhance forest farming on his own land

in Kanawha County. “I followed the typical agenda of improving the forest stand through crop tree release, thinning, cull

removal, and grapevine removal,” says Hays. “However, what I

ended up with, I believe, are areas of forest land that will 

produce good hardwood trees for commercial use but also a

forest that will be ideal for producing ginseng, goldenseal,

cohosh, and other valuable and useful products,” commented

Hays. He also deliberately manages for wild berry and 

mushroom production and mast for wildlife. The farm is used

for demonstrations and workshops directed toward area

landowners and sponsored by the Center for Sustainable

Resources, a non-profit organization. He thinks this 

forest management approach should also be appropriate

under the new Forest Land Enhancement Program

State Success:

West Virginia Funds Forest Farming

Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP)

This program has seven major objectives including enhancing the

implementation of agroforestry practices. See FLEP article insert on

page two for specific activities and practices that would qualify for up to

a 75 percent cost share.

To be eligible for the cost-share, you must be a non-industrial private

forest (NIPF) landowner. However, NIPF is broadly defined to include

land where trees may not currently exist but could be grown. FLEP will

be administered through each state forestry agency. 

For more information about FLEP visit www.fs.usda.gov/

spf/coop/flep.htm., or contact your local forester. State forester

contact information can be found at www.stateforesters.org. 
Winter 2003 | Inside Agroforestry 9

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)

The Missouri Agroforestry Program was established in 1990 with the passage of

the Missouri Economic Diversification and Afforestation Act and amended in

2001. The program is designed to complement an existing or new Conservation

Reserve Program (CRP) plan by providing financial assistance for the cost of

establishing the trees and/or shrubs used in an agroforestry management 

program. Agroforestry practices that are covered by the program include alley

cropping, riparian forest buffers, silvopasture, and windbreaks. Currently, the

program is not funded and may be subject to the limited application periods of

the regular CRP signup. However, the State of Missouri is working on 

providing funds for this program. In addition to the Agroforestry Program, the

MDC Cost Share Program offers funds to private landowners that are not

enrolled in any other federal or state incentive program. Under this program, the

tree and shrub establishment practice (MDC 700) allows landowners to plant

native trees and shrubs where needed for conservation purposes such as 

reforestation, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, erosion control, 

pollution control, filter or buffer strips, and energy conservation. This

would include establishing riparian forest buffers and windbreaks.

I

n addition to the wide array of federal programs that

can financially support agroforestry, there are a 

number of state programs that will also help implement

agroforestry. The following are a few examples of state

programs that either provide independent financial 

support or complement other federal or private efforts.

There are undoubtedly many other state programs that

could encourage agroforestry. For information about

programs in other states, contact the state forestry or soil

and water conservation agency, the local conservation

district office, or the local USDA service center.

Kansas State Conservation Commission (KSCC)

The State Conservation Commission ́s cost-share programs are aimed at 

providing financial incentives to landowners to apply enduring conservation

practices that reduce soil erosion and improve water quality and water 

conservation. For example, the Riparian and Wetland Protection Program

addresses the conservation and management of riparian areas and wetlands.

Funded projects include alternative livestock water supplies, wetland 

enhancement, riparian fencing, tree plantings and soil bio-engineering for

streambank stabilization. Also, the Kansas Buffer Partnership Program began 

its second year in September with a 25 percent increase in funding for more 

coordinators. The funding increase allows 38 Kansas counties to participate 

in the program that encourages landowners to establish conservation buffer

practices like field windbreaks and riparian forest buffers.

State Funding Support for Agroforestry

Georgia Department of Natural Resources - 

Wildlife Resources Division (WRD)

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), implements the 

Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI). The Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI) is a voluntary and experimental 

program to restore quality early successional habitat for bobwhite quail, songbirds and other farm 

wildlife, improve water quality, and reduce soil erosion. This pilot project is being conducted in 

three focus areas comprised of 17 counties in central Georgia. Funding assistance may 

include incentive payments to establish and maintain field borders, hedgerows (similar to 

a windbreak), fallow patches and/or center pivot corners. Cost share payments are also 

used for prescribed burning in thinned pine forests adjacent to enrolled crop fields. 

Several agencies work cooperatively in this new program, including: the Soil and 

Water Conservation Commission, Georgia Forestry Commission, Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Quail Unlimited and 

others in order to integrate this program with other conservation programs.
10 Inside Agroforestry | Winter 2003

National Wild

Turkey Federation

Funding

Incentives 

The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is a private organization

that promotes scientific wildlife management on public, private, and 

corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North

American sport. Members of the NWTF may purchase year-old grain

seed for the cost of shipping through the Conservation Seed Program for

habitat improvement projects. The Wild Turkey Woodlands program

provides opportunities for landowners who actively manage their farms,

ranches, or woodlands for wild turkey and other wildlife to purchase tree

seed and the seedlings at a reduced cost. Tree and shrub seedlings could

be used to establish riparian forest buffers, silvopastures, and windbreaks.

These agroforestry practices will provide future roosting and feeding

grounds as well as providing continuity of habitat on the landscape. 

For more information about the NWTF contact the organization at: The

National Wild Turkey Federation, PO Box 530, Edgefield, SC 29824-

1510, 1 (800) THE-NWTF, www.nwtf.org.

Federal and state programs are not the only sources ofassistance available to landowners. Numerous 

private organizations offer grants, cost-share, and 

equipment-on-loan for landowners who are improving

wildlife habitat with timber stand improvement or by

planting shrubs, trees, and forages. Most of the followNational Fish and Wildlife Foundation

(NFWF) Grant Programs

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works to

foster cooperative partnerships to conserve fish, wildlife, and

plant resources through the use of Challenge Grants. Funding is

based on an applicant’s ability to generate additional matching

sources of funding. The NFWF grant program Conservation on

Private Lands has implications for private-land agroforestry. 

Alley cropping, riparian forest buffers and windbreaks can all provide wildlife habitat and 

travel corridors that when coordinated with producers can make an impact at the landscape

scale within the context of working agricultural lands. Silvopasture systems and some kinds of

forest farming activities can also meet the criteria of conservation on working lands that provide on-the-ground value for wildlife for the Conservation on Private Lands challenge grants.

For more information visit the NFWF online at: www.nps.gov/plants/nfwf/index.htm or

www.nfwf.org/programs/grant_apply.htm, or contact by phone at (202) 857-0166.

ing organizations do not specifically promote agroforestry practices. However, the nature of agroforestry

practices, to provide a variety of benefits, means that

landowners interested in establishing agroforestry may

find that they are eligible to receive assistance from

these conservation organizations.

Conservation on Private Lands

The NFWF has partnered with the NRCS to provide

a challenge grant that promotes effective conservation and stewardship on private lands. A 2:1 ratio is

recommended. Projects are judged against the 

following criteria:

• Conservation on Working Landscapes 

• Demonstrated Value for 

Fish and Wildlife 

• Partnerships 

• Leverage of lands

• On-The-Ground 

• Landscape Scale 

• Immediacy of Need

Pheasants Forever (PF)

Funding Incentives

Pheasants Forever (PF) is a private,

non-profit conservation organization founded in

1982 in response to a declining ring-necked 

pheasant population. PF is dedicated to the protection and

enhancement of pheasant populations in North America

through habitat improvement, land management, public

awareness, and education. PF’s unique system of county

chapters allows 100 percent of the funds raised by chapters

to remain at the chapter level for local habitat projects.

Local PF chapters raise money to support five habitat

restoration programs. These five programs are:

• Food plots • Nesting cover • Woody cover 

• Land purchases • Wetland restoration

Windbreaks and riparian forest buffers can provide critical

winter protection for pheasants and other wildlife in intensively farmed lands. These practices also provide loafing

and escape cover within working agricultural lands.

For more information about PF and programs that are 

available, contact your local PF chapter, visit on the web at

www.pheasantsforever.org, or write to: Pheasants Forever,

1783 Buerkle Circle, St. Paul, MN 55110. Phone: (651)

773-2000 or toll free: 1 (877) 773-2070.

Private Funding Support for Agroforestry
Ducks

Unlimited

(DU)

Funding

Incentives

Ducks Unlimited (DU) is a private conservation

group that was started about 65 years ago by a

group of sportsmen and has become the largest

wetland and waterfowl conservation organization

in the world. DU offers a variety of programs to

restore grasslands, replant forests, and restore

watersheds. In the southeast and south riparian

forest buffers can provide important hardwood

habitat components in lands dominated with rowcrop agriculture. For example, these programs:

• Help landowners enroll in governmentsubsidized easement and set-aside programs

• Plant hardwood seedlings in the Mississippi 

Alluvial Valley

• Restore drained wetlands, protect stream 

corridors, and establish riparian buffer strips

DU works in partnership with landowners, federal agencies, and other private agencies to implement their programs. Their programs include:

• Financial incentives to landowners who 

manage their land for waterfowl for 10 years

• Challenge grants that provide landowners 

with cost share through the North American 

Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA)

Winter 2003 | Inside Agroforestry 11

New 

Working 

Trees 

brochures

NAC is developing two new Working

Trees brochures to be available by the

end of summer:

• Working Trees for Water Quality

(WTWQ) will explain how agroforestry practices can protect and 

improve water quality in both 

upland and riparian locations 

within a watershed. 

• Working Trees for Agriculture 

(WTA) is a revised edition of our 

most popular and oldest brochure. 

The revised WTA will reflect the 

changes in the application of agroforestry technology that have 

occurred since the original 1994 

WTA brochure.

The Working Trees series continues 

to be widely used by conservation 

agencies and non-government 

organizations to increase awareness 

of how agroforestry practices can be

used to meet a variety of economic

and environmental needs.

Quail Unlimited (QU) Funding

Incentives

Quail Unlimited (QU) is a national, non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the wise management

and conservation of America’s wild quail. Local QU

chapters raise funds for local habitat and education

projects, state wildlife departments, upland game bird

management, habitat research and education programs.

QU organizations are involved in:

• Challenge Grants with the NFWF

• Answer the Call, a partnership program with the 

US Forest Service emphasizes quail management

Quail Habitat Improvement Programs provide local chapters with free food plot seed, low

cost trees/shrubs, and equipment on loan. These low cost seedlings could be used for 

establishing agroforestry practices. Windbreaks and riparian forest buffers can help connect

the patches of roosting, feeding, and brood rearing cover, making smaller patches even

more beneficial to coveys of quail. 

To find out more about Quail Unlimited, contact your local chapter, or write to: Quail

Unlimited National Headquarters, 31 Quail Run or PO Box 610, Edgefield, SC 29824

Phone: (803) 637-5731, Fax: (803) 637-0037, www.qu.org.

Eighth North American

Agroforestry Conference

“Agroforestry and Riparian Buffers

for Land Productivity and

Environmental Stability”

Sponsored by The Association for

Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA) and

Oregon State University 

June 22-25th, 2003

Corvallis, Oregon.

The conference begins Monday, June

23rd, with a focused one-day Riparian

Buffer Technology Symposium and

sessions on other agroforestry topics. 

Tuesday includes field visits to agroforestry in the Willamette Valley. The

conference concludes on Wednesday. 

Register at the AFTA website

(http://www.missouri.edu/~afta/8thco

nference.htm). Early registration is

available at reduced cost until May

15th, 2003.

For more information about programs offered by

DU, visit their website at www.ducks.org, or write

to: Ducks Unlimited, Inc., One Waterfowl

Way, Memphis, TN 38120. Phone: 1

(800) 45DUCKS or (901) 758-3825.
National Agroforestry Center

East Campus-UNL

Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0822

PRSRT STD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

USDA — FS

PERMIT NO G-40

April 12, 2003

Opportunities in Agroforestry Conference. 

La Crosse, WI. Contact: Steve Bertjens, 

Southwest Badger RC&D, (608) 348-

3235, steve.bertjens@wi.usda.gov

June 7-8, 2003

Income Opportunities from Field and 

Forest. Rural Action Forestry. Ohio. 

Contact: Cynthia Brunty, 

cynthiab@ruralaction.org, or 

www.ruralaction.org.

June 17-19, 2003

Fourth Annual 1890 University Faculty 

Training Workshop in Agroforestry: 

Community Applications. Alabama A&M 

University, Normal, AL. 

June 22-25, 2003

Eighth North American Agroforestry 

Conference. Corvallis, OR. Contact: Steve 

Sharrow, Steven.H.Sharrow@orst.edu, 

or www.missouri.edu/~afta/

8thconference.htm

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use, $300

July 26-30, 2003

Soil and Water Conservation Society's 

58th Annual Conference. Spokane, WA. 

Contact: Nancy Herselius, (515) 289-

2331 extension 17, nancyh@swcs.org

September 21-28, 2003

XII World Forestry Congress.

Quebec City, Quebec. Contact: Jean-Louis 

Kérouac, Phone: (418) 694-2424, Fax: 

(418) 694-9922, sec-gen@wfc2003.org, 

or www.wfc2003.org

Agroforestry | Winter 2003 Inside

Upcoming Events

Inside Agroforestry is published quarterly by the USDA

National Agroforestry Center. 

Phone: 402-437-5178; Fax: 402-437-5712.

Greg Ruark, Center Director ext. 27

Michele Schoeneberger, FS Research Lead ext. 21

Rich Straight, FS Lead Agroforester ext. 24

Bruce Wight, NRCS Lead Agroforester ext. 36

Kimberly Stuhr, TT Specialist/IA Editor ext. 13

Ryan Dee, TT Assistant ext. 14

Mike Majeski, FS Agroforester

St. Paul, MN phone: 651-649-5240

Jim Robinson, NRCS Agroforester 

Fort Worth, TX phone: 817-509-3215

Gary Kuhn, NRCS Agroforester 

Spokane, WA phone: 509-358-7946

www.unl.edu/nac

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) is a partnership of the Forest Service, Research &

Development (Rocky Mountain Research Station) and State & Private Forestry and the Natural Resources

Conservation Service. The Center’s purpose is to accelerate the development and application of agroforestry

technologies to attain more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable land-use systems. To

accomplish its mission, the Center interacts with a national network of partners and cooperators to conduct

research, develop technologies and tools, establish demonstrations, and provide useful information to natural

resource professionals.

USDA policy prohibits discrimination because of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or handicapping condition.

Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any USDA-related activity should immediately contact the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

Opinions expressed in Inside Agroforestry are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the policy of the USDA

Forest Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Mission