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News and Events
New Incentives for Wetland Habitat Restoration
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Vice President Chaney recently announced his commitment to enhance or restore up to 4 million acres of wetlands. This is in addition to the 3 million acre goal previously set by President Bush.
In order to reach this new goal, additional incentives have been provided to increase enrollment into four existing wetland habitat restoration practices offered through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Continuous Sign-Up. The practices include Wetland Restoration in Floodplains (CP-23), Wetland Restoration in Non-Floodplains (CP-23A), Bottomland Timber Establishment on Wetlands (CP-31), and Duck Nesting Habitat (CP-37).
The new incentives for these practices have grown to equal those incentives offered by the existing CP-22 Riparian Forest Buffer practice. These incentives include a $100 per acre Signing Incentive Payment (SIP), 40% Practice Incentive Payment, and a 20% increase in the annual soil rental rate payment made each year of the CRP contract. With these incentives in place, 15-year CRP contracts for these practices will generate payments ranging from $1,270 per acre on heavy soils up to $1,930 per acre on sandy soils in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta region. This does not include the cost-share payments for practice establishment.
Of these four practices, Wetland Restoration in Floodplains (CP-23) and Bottomland Timber Establishment on Wetlands (CP-31) will be most applicable in the Mississippi Delta Region. Many local USDA Service Centers are already familiar with these programs and will not have any trouble advising landowners on how to best use these programs. However, the technical guidance for the Bottomland Timber Establishment practice (CP-31) was expanded to allow for 302 x 302 cottonwood/oak interplantings for carbon sequestration.
“The new incentives offered under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Continuous Sign-Up will certainly get the attention of many conservation minded landowners in the Delta,” commented Bobby Carson, Delta Wildlife Chairman. “We are hopeful that this additional economic support provided through Vice President Chaney’s commitment will help to expand wetland conservation in the Delta, and throughout the country.”
To learn more about these Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Continuous Sign-Up practices and the new incentives, contact your local USDA Service Center.