Last Updated January 24, 2005
Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP)
Providing technical, educational, and cost-share assistance to promote the sustainability of NIPF (Non-Industrial Private Forest) forests
The 2002 Farm Bill authorized the Forest Service to launch a multimillion-dollar forestry program to further assist nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners. The Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) replaces the Stewardship Incentives Program (SIP) and the Forestry Incentives Program (FIP), while complementing the Forest Stewardship Program by providing cost-share assistance for management plan implementation.
The program is authorized at $100 million for program years 2002-2007, having allocated $20 million in its inaugural year (fiscal year 2003) to be distributed through state forestry agencies.
Through FLEP, state forestry agencies can provide a wide array of educational, technical, and financial services that are intended to help ensure that the nation's NIPF and related resources continue to provide sustainable forest products and safeguard the health of our water, air, and wildlife.
As with all Cooperative Forestry Programs, participation in FLEP is voluntary. State Forestry Agencies are currently administering FLEP under an Interim Rule and developing State Priority Plans for FLEP in coordination with their State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committees.
These plans detail how the FLEP funds are used, including minimum acres; maximum acres; aggregate payment; use for technical, educational, and cost-share assistance; and all other factors for the program. These state plans are based on the appropriate mix of educational, technical, and financial assistance desired for each state.
State forestry agencies can use FLEP funds to help NIPF owners achieve a broad array of natural resource objectives. To be eligible for cost-share, landowners need a Forest Stewardship management plan. The practices to be cost-shared and the cost-share rate are described in the State Priority Plan.
Project Examples
Funded projects include those that:
- Establish, manage, maintain, protect, enhance, and restore NIPF lands
- Enhance the productivity of timber, habitat for flora and fauna, soil, water, air quality, wetlands, and riparian buffers of these lands
- Assist owners and managers to more actively manage NIPF lands to enhance and sustain the long-term productivity of timber and non-timber forest resources
- Reduce the risk and help restore, recover, and mitigate the damage to forests caused by fire, insects, invasive species, diseases, and damaging weather
Application and Financial Information
For information about how FLEP will operate
in your state, please contact your State Forestry
agency. Your State Forester can be found on the
National Association of State Foresters website:
www.stateforesters.org and go to the
Directory of State Foresters. At this time, the program
is unfunded for FY 2004.
Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
FLEP is available for all NIPF landowners. FLEP
allows treatment of up to 1,000 acres per year and
variances of up to 5,000 acres if significant public
benefits are accrued. The maximum FLEP cost-share
payment for any practice may be up to 75
percent. The aggregate payment to any one landowner
through 2007 may not exceed $100,000.
The waiver is granted through the State
Forester and approved by the Forest Service
Regional Forester. There is no limit to the amount
of forest land owned by an individual as long as
the person qualifies as an NIPF owner.
Contact
Hal Brockman, National Program Manager
USDA Forest Service, Cooperative Forestry,
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 205-1694; Fax: (202) 205-1271
E-mail: hbrockman@fs.fed.us
Internet
www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/flep.shtml
