When traveling through Louisiana, the majority of land someone sees is used for farming. The Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley including 25 Louisiana parishes has land sitting in wait with nothing but dust and weeds growing. A program coming into its third year wants to change that and allow landowners the opportunity to not farm that land but provide it with the chance to start fresh with a new allotment of hardwood trees.
The Lower Mississippi Watershed Project, which was coordinated by Newt Briggs of West Monroe, is “designed to help restore some of the vast bottomland hardwood forests and hydrology that have disappeared during the last 300 years along the lower Mississippi River Delta. [It’s] probably 25 million acres in the Mississippi Alluvial area.”
This project came about because Briggs noticed the numerous USDA programs available as long as land was farmed. However, those that did not farm the land were left in the cold when it came to a type of assistance.
“We thought there should be a way to help these people,” Briggs said. The program is partnered with the United States Forest Service, which provides grant money for funding; the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, which provides the technical responsibilities; and the Louisiana Forestry Association, which is the project sponsor. Ducks Unlimited can be a technical partner if the landowner wants to include a waterfowl habitat.
The project is targeting over 90 percent of privately owned land.
Resources and technical assistance will be provided.
“We’re hoping they’ll convert them back along the Mississippi Delta Basin. [The project] lets the landowners be able to plant trees rather than be open land. There is no farming history required, and we can help with planting a tract that has been harvested,” Briggs said. “Whether the landowner’s goal is wildlife habitat, wood products or a combination, the LMWP partnership will work with the landowner to develop a balanced, sustainable restoration strategy.”
The project will help with water conservation, by lessening runoff, providing wildlife and more.
“We have had about 35 landowners participate in the program, planting approximately 900 acres back to hardwood timber,” Briggs said. Those eligible for this project have land in the Delta, have at least 10 acres, have restoration potential and are in one of the 25 parishes. Those parishes are Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, Franklin, Iberia, Iberville, Lafayette, La Salle, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, Richland, St. James, St. Landry, St. Martin, Tensas, West Baton Rouge, West Carroll and West Feliciana.
“This is one of the easiest programs to participate in. There’s not a lot of limitations,” Briggs said.
The program will provide the hardwood seedlings as needed for the land at no cost to the owner. They will also pay 100% of the labor to plant the seedlings up to $60 per acre.
“Any recommended site preparation is paid on a 50% cost share rate (not to exceed $120 per acre). The participating landowner will sign a 10-year management agreement agreeing to leave the trees in the program for 10 years and permit annual inspection of the property. Eligible landowners can receive up to $5,000 of LMWP assistance each fiscal year,” Briggs said. “A landowner using LMWP retains all property rights and has immediate eligibility determinations. The program has great flexibility to meet landowner objectives. They can do a lot of things on their land as long as they don’t hurt the trees. [It] is on a first come, first served basis.”
He said he is the main person to work with in the project. The land will need to be looked at, and the landowner should have a copy of the dead, or proof of ownership, available. A simple application will need to be filled out also.
“If they have an aerial photo, that would be great,” Briggs said. He said he really likes when the owner can be there to show him the property and tell him their ideas. For instance, the landowner may want to leave a certain area open for recreational purposes like camping in their own woods eventually.
Once everything has been authorized, Briggs said they will want to start as soon as possible and that needs to be another season besides winter.
This project will be tracked for a 10-year period with the LMWP helping the landowner find individuals to assist in care for the property.
If you are interested in this project, contact Newt Briggs by phone at 396.1156 or 237.4591 or by sending a letter to 324 Lea Drive, West Monroe, Louisiana 71291. The Louisiana Forestry Association can be reached by calling 443.2558 or writing to P.O. Box 5067, Alexandria, Louisiana 71307.
