Mature Longleaf Pine habitat. Photo by Judy Ludlow

Source: FDACS – Florida Forest Service

The primary objective of the Longleaf Pine Private Landowner Incentives Program is to increase the acreage of healthy longleaf pine ecosystems in Florida by helping non-industrial private forest landowners to make the long-term investment required to establish and maintain this valuable ecosystem.

The program offers landowners technical guidance and incentive payments for conducting certain approved forest management practices that help establish or improve longleaf pine stands.

The program offers incentive payments for:

  • Longleaf pine seedling establishment,

  • Timber stand improvement,

  • Prescribed burning,

  • Native plant understory establishment,

  • Mechanical underbrush treatments and

  • Invasive exotic plant treatment.

All payments are made at specified per-acre or per-seedling rates. Please see the  2020 Technical Guidelines Booklet  for available practices, practice requirements and payment rates.

Eligible Counties

The program is limited to the counties of Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Desoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton and Washington. Qualified landowners may apply for up to four approved practices per year. The minimum tract size requirement is 5 acres, and funding requests may not exceed $10,000. Only one application per landowner is permitted per year.

Program Partners

This program is administered by the Florida Forest Service and is funded through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with financial support from The Southern Company, U.S. Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Department of Defense, Halliburton, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Contact your County Forester for questions or assistance with the application process.

Application Form – Application deadline July 8, 2020