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LEWISTON — Androscoggin and Oxford counites have been approved to accept applications for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program to address damage from high wind and rain from the Oct. 29 storm, U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency County Executive Director Marcia Hall announced.
EFRP provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest land to enable the owners to carry out emergency measures to restore land damaged by a natural disaster. EFRP signup will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 2 and end on Friday, March 2, according to a news release from the USDA.
“It is important that producers apply for EFRP assistance timely because program funds will be allocated based on the number of applications received as well as by on-site inspections that will determine the extent of the damage,” said Hall. She encouraged eligible landowners who haven’t participated in FSA programs to contact the affected county’s FSA office as soon as possible, so the program can create records for them.
After applications are received, Maine Forest Service will provide technical assistance by evaluating the damage and developing a plan to restore the NIPF land. The local FSA county committee will determine land eligibility and approve applications.
In order to meet eligibility requirements, NIPF land must have existing tree cover or had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster occurred and be sustainable for growing trees. The land must also be owned by any nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land. The natural disaster must have resulted in damage that if untreated would impair or endanger the natural resources on the land and/or materially affect future use of the land.
Androscoggin County residents can contact the FSA office at 207-753-9400 ext. 2. The Androscoggin County FSA office is at 254 Goddard Road in Lewiston.
Oxford County resident can contact the FSA office at 207-743-5789 ext. 2. The Oxford County FSA office is at 17 Olson Road, South Paris.
For more information, viist disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
