Chapter 6 Conservation Goals and Priorities
• The NC Forestry and Agriculture Present-Use Value Program can reduce property taxes for qualifying farm and forest landowners. See the NCFS web page, Managing Your Forest, for detailed program information. Available online https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-forest-service/managing-your-forest/puv. • The NC Forest Stewardship Program provides technical assistance to enhance wildlife habitat management on private forest lands. Information about the program is available online https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-forest-service/managing-your-forest/forest- stewardship. • The NC Forest Development Program is a reforestation, afforestation, and forest stand improvement cost-sharing program run by the NCFS. The goals of the program focus on timber production and the creation of the benefits associated with active forest management. Information is available online https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc- forest-service/managing-your-forest/fdp. Farm Bill programs, administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, offer many conservation incentive cost-share funds. These programs are subject to change depending on modifications to the Farm Bill. There are numerous programs that improve management of wildlife habitat and water quality for lands in agricultural and forestry production. The USDA website is available https://www.usda.gov/farming-and-ranching/farm- bill. The USDA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (NCDACS) Agriculture Cost-Share Program (ACSP) are joint efforts among state and federal agencies administered by the NC Division of Soil and Water Conservation to address water quality problems. They are voluntary programs that seek to protect land currently in agricultural production along water courses. Details about the CREP program can be found online https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/conservation- reserve-enhancement-program-crep. The USFWS Safe Harbor and Candidate Conservation Agreements are voluntary agreements between the USFWS and cooperating nonfederal (private and government) landowners. They are designed to benefit federally endangered and threatened species by giving landowners assurances that at no future time would the USFWS impose restrictions on their land because of conservation actions on their part. In other words, these agreements essentially relieve landowners of liability under the Endangered Species Act if conservation practices on their land attract and/or perpetuate federally listed species. To date, nearly 3 million acres of land have been enrolled in Safe Harbor Agreements, benefiting a variety of listed species. In North Carolina, Safe Harbor Program agreements have been used to benefit the endangered Red- cockaded Woodpecker. Information about Safe Harbor Agreements is available online at https://www.fws.gov/service/safe-harbor-agreements. Information about the Candidate
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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