Generate Income by Reforesting Marginal Agricultural Land
Landowner Assistance
There are several private, state, and federal programs that provide financial and/or technical assistance to landowners. Download the Landowner Guide to Reforestation Assistance in the Lower Mississippi River Valley (PDF) for a listing and description of available programs and assistance.
How Can Landowners Benefit?
Reforestation of economically marginal cropland may provide direct benefits to farmers/landowners through diversification of income and receipt of payments through government programs as well as ecological benefits that reduce their costs.
Reforested land may provide revenue sources the derive from
- Timber harvest and sale of wood products
- Hunting leases
- Nature-based tourism such as bird watching
- Payments from government programs
How Can the Delta Benefit?
Reforesting marginal ag lands in the Delta can provide many ecological benefits that reduce costs to taxpayers for natural disasters and improve the quality of the environment. Some of the benefits are
- Reduced nutrient and pesticide runoff
- Reduced soil erosion
- Reduced flood damage in riparian zones
- Increased wildlife habitat
- Increased carbon sequestration
