Did you know that in Florida, nearly 65 percent our state’s forests are privately owned and are key to keeping forests as forest? Keeping our forests healthy and stocked with trees is especially important for the air we breathe. Forests remove or sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere during the entire lifespan of the tree. Current growth of Florida’s forests offsets almost 20 percent of the annual carbon dioxide emissions produced in the state. Additionally, they continue to store carbon well beyond the tree’s lifetime as the trees are converted into wood products such as paper and lumber. Not only do forests store CO2, they also produce oxygen, clean water for drinking, provide homes for wildlife, opportunities for recreation and assist in addressing climate change.
However, regenerating or creating new forests can be a costly undertaking. Up-front costs such as site preparation and planting require extensive investments that are not realized for many years. To help landowners overcome the hurdle of establishment costs, the Florida Forest Service recently announced a new cost-share program known as the Sequestering Carbon and Protecting Florida Land Program. This program is designed to help increase the acreage of healthy forests in Florida by helping Florida landowners make the long-term investment required to establish and/or maintain forests. The program offers landowners incentive payments for conducting certain approved forest management practices, such as site prep and planting slash, longleaf or loblolly pines to establish new forests.
Applicants are limited to non-industrial private landowners, a county or local government, and registered nonprofit organizations, who own a of minimum of 20 acres. Applications will be accepted from September 3 – October 8, 2021. Interested applicants can find more information by contacting a County Forester at their local Florida Forest Service office or online at: www.FDACS.gov/CarbonProgram.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects wildfire on more than 26 million acres.
Learn more at FDACS.gov/FLForestService.
