Tomorrow Woods - Forest Management Implementation Assistance Program
The Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) has a unique funding program in southeast Virginia called Tomorrow Woods. The goal of this program is to plan, conserve, establish, and enhance forests in Southeast Virginia for multiple resource benefits, with a focus on building and maintaining productive, private non-industrial working forests. Interested landowners should contact their local VDOF office for more information.
Tomorrow Woods - Landowner Eligibility
The Tomorrow Woods program funding is available to:
- Non-industrial Forest landowners
- Farmers
- Non-Profit organizations
The above entities must own property in the counties of Counties of Dinwiddie, Isle of Wight, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, Sussex, and the City of Suffolk.
(Timber Investment Management Organizations (TIMOS), Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) and publicly-traded forest industry companies are not eligible)
Planning Requirements
- Participating landowners must have a forest stewardship plan or equivalent approved by the State Forester (Tree Farm Management Plan, NRCS Conservation Activity Plan 106, etc) and prepared by VDOF foresters or consulting foresters
- The primary landowner objective should be production of forest products.
- Program will reimburse landowners for costs of preparing plans based on current rates. Landowner must have plan within 12 months of entry into program.
Eligible Practices
- Forest Establishment – Cost assistance for open field planting idle or marginal agricultural lands.
- Must maintain the practice for 15 years
- Practice area must be available for future harvesting opportunities
- Planting on “conserved lands” will receive higher incentive rate.
- Area must be at least 10 acres in size unless approved by a VDOF forester.
- Program will reimburse 50% of the cost up to $75.00 per acre for site preparation, tree seedlings, planting, and follow-up competition control.
Eligible Practices Continued – Forest Establishment
- In addition to cost share for establishment, there is an incentive or rental payment option: Planted area must be at least 10 acres.
- Conserved Lands (lands protected by easement)
- One time payment of $250.00 per acre or
- Annual payment of $35 per acre per year for ten years
- Non-Conserved Lands
- One time payment of $150
- Annual payment of $20 per acre per year for ten years
- Forest Enhancement Practices – Cost assistance for practices that increase forest productivity, not normally available through other programs.
- Must maintain the practice for 15 years
- Practice area must be available for future harvesting opportunities
- Available on forest lands under conservation easement or certified under a recognized forest certification program.
- Available on open lands planted under this program
- Cap of 50 acres per landowner per year
- Incentive or cost assistance
- Conserved Lands (lands protected by easement):
- 75% of cost, up to $75 per acre
- Non-Conserved Lands (under certification program)
- 35% of cost, up to $35 per acre
- Eligible Forest Enhancement practices
- Fertilization (non-biosolids)
- Mid-rotation competition control
- Herbaceous weed control not associated with site preparation
- Enhanced site preparation beyond what is needed for simple stand establishment including sub-soiling, bedding
- Additional cost of seedlings of higher genetic productivity
- Higher density planting for early biomass/bio-energy removal
- Other practices that lead to increased productivity as approved by program manager
Other Tomorrow Woods Program Benefits
In addition to the above forest management implementation assistance, the Tomorrow Woods program also provides landowners with a land conservation easement incentives program. These incentives are available to any landowner in the program area. For more information regarding the Land Conservation Program and the Tomorrow Woods funding opportunity, please contact Rob Suydam at 804.328.3031.
