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Landowners can now apply for Forest Legacy Program funding to protect their privately owned forest land from development, Tennessee’s forestry division announced Friday.

The federal conservation program is administered by the U.S. Forest Service in partnership with the state. Grant funds can be used to pay for conservation easements that block non-forest uses and development while allowing landowners to continue owning and managing their land. 

Conservation easements are a voluntary process driven by landowners, but do come with some costs for land surveys, appraisals and attorney services. 

“As conversion of forested land for development increases in Tennessee, the need to conserve critical woodlands grows,” Tennessee State Forester Heather Slayton said in a March 27 news release. “This program helps put long-term conservation within reach for more Tennesseans, helping to ensure that future generations will have access to the many benefits sustainably managed forests provide, including a thriving forest industry, clean air and pure water.”

The Tennessee Forest Legacy Program currently conserves more than 72,300 acres valued at $59 million (with $32.9 million funded through the federal Forest Legacy Program, and the remainder covered by private funds), according to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture website.

Land must be adjacent to a previous Forest Legacy tract or at least partially located within the state’s Forest Legacy Program Priority Areas, which are mostly concentrated in Middle and East Tennessee. 

The program requires conserved forest lands to have a Forest Stewardship Plan to manage the forest and other resources on the land, with the goal of perpetuating “traditional forestland values and benefits on environmentally valuable forest lands.”

Applications for grants will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. Central time on May 22. Projects require a 25% nonfederal funding match to qualify for federal dollars for the remaining 75% of project costs.

The State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee’s Forest Legacy Committee will review applications on June 1.

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