These payments defray the cost of implementing certain forest and wildlife habitat management practices. The two most common programs are tree planting and improvement to an existing stand of trees. This program, created in the 1990 Farm Bill, is perhaps the most comprehensive natural resource program offered. The Forest Stewardship Program is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Forest Service and the State Forester. Because of its emphasis on the care of all natural resources, the Forest Stewardship Program has become the standard for management of private forest land.
Landowners receive assistance in the preparation of detailed management plans.
These plans consider all natural resources on the landowner's property. Wildlife and fisheries biologists, natural history specialists, soil scientists and others cooperating in the program insure that one resource is not emphasized to the detriment of the others. The Forest Stewardship Program addresses all forest resources and SIP complements those goals by offering the landowner eight separate cost-share practices. These practices include wildlife habitat improvement, soil stabilization, windbreak establishment, wetland protection and tree planting. The Conservation Reserve Program is a federally funded program that allows landowners with highly erosive land to establish permanent vegetative cover, such as grass or trees.