Reports - Mississippi Renewal

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102 | AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND MARINE RESOURCESmillion for the Emergency ForestryConservation Reserve Program to assistnon-industrial private forest landownersand to assist the states reforestationefforts. To qualify for assistance underthis program, private non-industriallandowners should be required to:■ sign a contract with the MississippiForestry Commission agreeing toimplement a reforestation and forestmanagement plan prepared bythe county forester or prepared by aregistered forester and approved bythe county forester;■ show a loss, caused by HurricaneKatrina, of 35 percent or more ofmerchantable timber;■ own a tract of forested land of at least20 acres prior to the declaration ofthe Presidential Disaster Area.Oversight of the requirements shouldbe provided by county foresters. Uponapproval, landowners would be eligibleto receive 60 percent of the value oftrees lost as a direct result of HurricaneKatrina. Half of the total compensationdue would be paid to the landowner upfront and the other half would be paidafter completion of the terms of the reforestationplan, which must be completedby March 31, 2010. Compensationwould be subject to a $250,000limit and be tax exempt. The $250,000limit, however, will not apply to 16thSection school trust lands and otherqualifying state lands.Additional Reforestation ProgramsTo provide further incentive programsto assist the state and privatelandowners, the Commission recommendsthe following proposals. To createa reforestation program for 600,000acres, we suggest the federal governmentprovide:■ $100 million to fund the HealthyForests Reserve Program, a programwithin the Natural Resources ConservationService, to restore 160,000acres. The program can provide thegreatest benefit to the private landownerby allowing the land-ownerto utilize cost-share to restore theforests and utilize an easement paymentto help offset income loss.■ $10 million to the Department ofthe Interior’s Fish and Wildlife’sPartners for Fish and Wildlife Program,to restore 30,000 acres.■ $10 million to the Farm ServiceAgency’s Tree Assistance Program,to restore 30,000 acres. Utilizing thefunds appropriated for this program,adequate funding would be dedicated,with waiver of the cost-sharingrequirement, for the reforestation of16th section school lands.■ $10 million to the Landowner IncentiveProgram, a program of theMississippi Department of Wildlife,Fisheries, and Parks, to restore30,000 acres.■ $15 million to the Forest Land Enhancement/StewardshipProgram, aprogram of the Mississippi ForestryCommission, to restore 50,000acres.■ $6 million to fund the EmergencyRestoration Tax Credit Program, anew program which should be authorizedby Congress for natural disasters.The funding would go to theMississippi Forestry Commissionand the Mississippi Department ofWildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to restorean estimated 300,000 acres.Emergency ReforestationTax CreditThe Commission recommends thatCongress enact federal income tax cred-
THE GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION REPORT | 103its, similar to successful programs usedin Mississippi and Texas, as an incentivefor private investment for the reforestationand wildlife restoration in countiesdesignated as Presidential Disaster Areas.The program would be administeredthrough the U.S. Department of Agriculture,Forest Service’s State and PrivateForestry Division and implemented bythe state Forestry Commission and stateFish and Wildlife Foundation. Underan agreement with the landowner, theappropriate state agency would providevoluntary technical and financial assistancefor up to five years to help restoreforests and fish and wildlife habitat onthe property through the proposed taxcredit based program. Any individual,group or association would be eligibleto participate in the program.To be eligible for the tax credit, alandowner must have a restorationplan prepared for the eligible tract bya registered forester or certified fish orwildlife biologist. The forester or biologistwould certify, in writing, that theconservation practices were completedand the conservation plan followed. TheU.S. Forest Service, in consultation withthe state forestry and fish and wildlifeagencies, would determine the eligibleactivities, which could include: forestrestoration and debris removal, controlor eradication of invasive species, sitepreparation, tree planting, direct seeding,firebreaks, restoration of hydrology,restoration of wildlife habitat and corridors,fencing for habitat protection,removal of barriers for aquatic species,stream bank stabilization, restorationof threatened and endangered specieshabitat and corridors, and restoration ofrivers and streams.The Commission recommends thatany eligible owner who incurred costsfor approved restoration practices oneligible lands be allowed a tax credit, inan amount equal to the lesser of 75 percentof the actual costs of the approvedconservation practices or 75 percent ofthe average cost of approved practicesagainst the taxes imposed for the taxyear in which the costs are incurred.A landowner would be eligible for upto $50,000 of tax credits per year for amaximum of three years after the presidentialdeclaration with any unusedportion of the credit being eligible tobe carried forward in succeeding taxyears. The Commission also recommendsa similar restoration tax creditfor homeowners limited to $1,500 peryear for three years to help restore urbanand community forests.Invasive Species ControlHurricane Katrina spread invasivespecies of plants into the damaged forestsof South Mississippi. In areas withsevere wind damage, the removal ofthe forest canopy would dramaticallyincrease available sunlight reaching theunderstory and encourage an explosionof many highly invasive species. Withoutaggressive action, it is extremelylikely that these species will “capturesuccession” across thousands of acresand prevent reestablishment of nativeforests across ownerships, including anarray of ecologically and economicallysignificant public and private lands. Itis highly likely that the movement ofheavy equipment through infested areaswill exacerbate the spread of cogongrass,an invasive grass spread by windblownseeds and underground creepingrhizomes.The Commission recommends a $30million congressional appropriation tofund the Environmental Quality IncentivesProgram (EQIP) or to provide adirect EQIP appropriation to the Mis-Hurricane Katrinaspread invasivespecies of plantsinto the damagedforests of southMississippi.
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Governor’s Commissionon Recovery,
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THE GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION REPORT
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INFRASTRUCTUREThe four subcommittee
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12 | LAND USE■ City land use plan
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14 | LAND USEgional level, coastal
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16 | LAND USElored for South Missis
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18 | LAND USEThe qualityof life and
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20 | LAND USEand building requireme
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22 | LAND USEThroughout the Renewal
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24 | LAND USEapproval process for c
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26 | INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATIONINTER
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36 | PUBLIC SERVICESPUBLICSERVICESK
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38 | PUBLIC SERVICEStic tank use; a
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40 | PUBLIC SERVICESsources. The go
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42 | PUBLIC SERVICESBefore Katrinan
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44 | PUBLIC SERVICEScoverage capabi
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46 | PUBLIC SERVICESThe methods by
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48 | AFFORDABLE HOUSINGAFORDABLEHOU
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50 | AFFORDABLE HOUSINGTable 1, bel
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Reports - Mississippi Renewal

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