Serving Hancock, Washington, Penobscot, and Southern Aroostook Counties
Phone: 207-214-2875
Email: downeastforestryllc@gmail.com
NRCS Cost-Share Programs
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is a part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). NRCS administers the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) on a county level in the state of Maine. EQIP practices are meant to help pay for conservation practices that are otherwise cost-prohibitive. For example, if your woodlot has very low quality trees, it probably wouldn't provide any income if you were to have it harvested- in fact, the logger may actually want you to pay them hourly rates to cut the trees since they wouldn't be making a profit on the wood itself. NRCS can provide financial assistance to landowners to help pay for the cost of a low-income or no-income harvest or other conservation practice. For more information on EQIP, click here.
Landowners participating forestry-related EQIP programs must have a Technical Service Provider (TSP) design and oversee the practices that are being funded. Forestry TSPs are individuals that have registered with NRCS and been approved to provide professional expertise on behalf of NRCS for certain forestry practices. Our licensed forester at Downeast Forestry, LLC is a certified TSP and can help you with NRCS-related programs.
EQIP Practices
Access Road
Designing a road to enter your property for conservation purposes, such as to get logging equipment on-site.
Conservation Cover
Planting a variety of perennial grass species for wildlife such as deer, pollinators, birds, etc.
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management
Habitat creation for species such as grouse and woodcock that require young, sapling sized tree species.
Forest Trails and Landings
Creating logging trails and log yards for timber harvest purposes.
Road/Trail/Landing Closure
Restoring roads, trails, and log landings to a more natural state.
Upland Wildlife Habitat Management
Managing upland sites for wildlife such as deer and a variety of birds.
Brush Management
Removal of brush for a variety of reasons, such as cutting and treating invasive woody species
Forest Stand Improvement
Cutting trees in such as way as to improve the health and quality of the remaining forest. Oftentimes, this practice is used for removal of poor quality, low value trees and leaving better quality trees
Crop Tree Release
Cutting around high quality and potentially high quality tree species to provide better growing conditions for the future.
Integrated Pest Management
Managing for invasive and native pest species such as emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid.
Trails and Walkways
Creating trails/walkways for recreational use.
Tree and Shrub Establishment
Planting tree and shrub seedlings for a variety of purposes such as wildlife habitat enhancement, future crop trees, and commercial timber production.