What goals do you have for your property? Would you like to maximize timber productivity? Do you want to increase the habitat and food sources for deer and turkey? Are invasive shrub species taking over the understory? Whatever goal or idea you might have for your property, proper planning is key to achieving that goal. This planning starts with an assessment of the current state of the land. Many times this involves conducting a detailed inventory of your forest. The inventory will show whether your forest needs to be thinned, if harvesting is appropriate or maybe the density of desirable trees is too low and we need to plant additional trees.
Many plans are prepared in order to enroll in state forestry or natural resource management programs. Two offered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources are the IFDA and the CSP. The IFDA (Illinois Forestry Development Act) offers a program for landowners who have 10 or more acres. This program offers assistance in management from the IDNR district Forester (find your forester HERE) cost share assistance for some practices, and also a property tax reduction on enrolled acres. The CSP (Conservation Stewardship Program) offers landowners with 5 acres or more a way to manage any land cover type, and comes with a property tax reduction as well. Both of these programs require an approved management plan be prepared and filed with the IDNR.
As a TSP with the USDA, I am able to prepare a variety of plans for NRCS programs like EQUIP. The USDA often times has a variety of option for program funding and support for landowners interested in managing their property. Click HERE to find your local service center where you can learn more about current programs.
