October 18, 2023

Link to known programs by state

State-level programs

Start by looking up conservation funding from state programs. Ask ChatGPT: “Does [state] have grant or other incentive programs for landowners for conservation?” GPT will give you a list of most of the funding programs available in the state, but it does a poor job separating programs for landowners from programs for nonprofits and local governments. See below, where numbers (1), (5), and (7) are for organizations while numbers (2), (3), (4), and (6) are for landowners.

Make sure to look for Tax Credit programs and “Current Use” or equivalent programs. Many states have these.

Perform a google search of the program (e.g. search “New York forest tax law programs”). Locate the .gov website, which should have the most up-to-date information on the program. Review the materials outlining the program to collect this information about programs for forest landowners:

• Program Name
• State
• Program URL
• Benefit (e.g. Tax Credit, Tax Reduction, Activity Funding, other)
• Benefit Detail (e.g. what the $ per acre is, % cost of activity funded, % tax reduction)
• Minimum Acres (if applicable)
• Application Requirements - list the components that an application needs
• Forest Management Plan - does the program require a forest management plan?
• Harvest Requirement - does the program require timber harvests?
• Commitment - how long does the landowner need to commit their land under the program?

Federal Programs

Most federal programs are administered through the NRCS: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/

Sometimes their “find your local service center” tool may not work for your state (it didn’t work for me when I tried New York), so to find your state’s programs you can just Google “NRCS [state]”. Here is New York’s NRCS page.

Scroll to the “state programs and initiatives” section, and click on each program to learn more and see whether forest landowners qualify.