Funding Now Available for the Pine Barrens Restoration Project
Landowners located in the Pinelands region, which covers portions of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean counties, are encouraged to apply.
HAMILTON SQUARE, N.J., April 5, 2023 - The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Jersey is accepting applications for forest management activities on private lands for the purposes of reducing wildfire risk in municipal watersheds and the wildland-urban interface, implementing carbon defense activities, improving habitat for threatened and endangered species, and mitigating the effects of Southern pine beetle, through the New Jersey Pine Barrens Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership.
Landowners located in the Pinelands region, which covers portions of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean counties, are encouraged to contact their local service center to apply. While NRCS accepts applications for programs year-round, landowners should apply by May 5, 2023 to be eligible for funding.
This funding is part of more than $48.6 million provided this year through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership. It is one of 14 new projects selected across the U.S. bringing together agricultural producers, forest landowners, and National Forest System lands to improve forest health using available Farm Bill conservation programs and other authorities.
The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership enables the Forest Service and NRCS to collaborate with agricultural producers and forest landowners to invest in conservation and restoration at a large enough scale to make a difference. Working in partnership, and at this scale, helps reduce wildfire threats to communities and critical infrastructure, protect water quality and supply, and improve wildlife habitat for at-risk species.
Through the new three-year projects, landowners will work with local USDA experts and partners to apply targeted forestry management practices on their land, such as thinning, hazardous fuel treatments, fire breaks, and other systems to meet unique forestry challenges in their area.
Forest landowners can verify their land is located within the target area by entering their address into the Pinelands Commission Interactive Map.
