If it’s time to be thinking about tree planning for next spring, then we had better be informed on the cost share programs available as trees can be expensive. If you are wanting fabric installed keep in mind it is approximately two-thirds of the cost on that final bill. Prices vary among conservation districts, but the common theme is if you are going to use fabric then you had better use it to your best advantage as that is a lot of money to spend just to have Smooth Brome establish. The Smooth Brome will stunt your trees and not allow your shrubs to run. We talked last week that the fabric also prevents shrubs from spreading which we plant them with the idea that they will spread.
Most any tree cost share program will pay a percentage of the total bill whether you have fabric or not. So, in essence it may not seem like you are out much by not analyzing if fabric is right for you and just having it installed. You should consider that you are reimbursed by cost share programs. This means that you need to pay the bill to the conservation district (or other contractor) before you get the reimbursement from the program. This is something I see often that people aren’t thinking of when conducting their tree planning. You pay your bill before the cost share! Besides the management applications, this is a big reason to decide if you need fabric or not. Also since most programs are percentage based. You still end up with a larger number that isn’t cost shared with fabric versus trees alone. In most years we would have had CRP as a viable option for trees even this time of year. This is not the case this year and it’s not shutdown related. When the farm bill (and extensions) has expired each of these last few years, FSA’s legal authority to sign up new acres isn’t there. So, when we get an extension in December (or later) that already takes us into a time where planning for trees in the spring is a scramble. Well a farm bill extension at the end of the year doesn’t mean CRP is up and running the next day, it takes time (think months) to get that going. You can see where I’m going here. Even if we have CRP in say March that is not enough time to plan for CRP trees. Unless you were one of the folks who did your tree planning this last summer and signed up for it, CRP is not an option. Given that this farm bill uncertainty may last into coming years, if you want to sign up for CRP trees, or grass, you had better be ready to plan the spring and summer the year before you want to get something in the ground.
Given that CRP is on hiatus right now the best cost share, especially for larger belts, would be from South Dakota GF&P. Before your mind goes to that place where myths and gossip lie, no participating in a GFP program does NOT allow the public to hunt your ground. The only way the public is allowed to hunt on your land is if you are specifically paid for that. Using a cost share program does not allow for it. Under the GFP woody habitat program landowners are eligible for 75% cost share up to $20,000. They also allow for shelterbelt renovations but the important thing to keep in mind is that you need to be approved before you start ripping out trees. You have no idea how many people come to me after they have started with the excavator asking about this. There isn’t a program out there that is retroactive no matter what it is for! Biggest caveat to using the GFP program is that the belt must be at least 8 rows wide. If I’m being honest I don’t think you should be less than that if you can help it anyway. Whether it is for wildlife or wind protection the usual 5 rows we use in CRP isn’t enough. Now if you plan CRP trees for 2027 you can combine this with the GFP program at 90% cost share for the 3 or more rows they cover. I say 3 or more as it still has to be 8 rows if you use them as part of the planting. If your CRP is 5 rows then the GFP portion must be at least 3 rows. There is a 100% cost share option for GFP trees if you are WILLING to sign up some public access acres. To get the 100% option you have to sign a 5-year Walk In contract which does not have to be on the area where the trees are to be planted. So, if you are planning trees by a farmstead the walk in would not have to be there, it could be somewhere away from the farm and livestock.
Your conservation districts have grants that they apply for so that they can then get you a 50% cost share on tree planting. Again, you are running out of time for this next year if this is a route you would want to take as they usually have hard cut-off dates. The great thing about this option is it can usually be used in areas where some of the other options rules don’t allow for.
EQUIP is an NRCS cost share program for infrastructure that with planning can be a good option, but not for spring of 2026 if you aren’t already accepted. Could be an option for 2027.
There are some other much less well-known options out there that if you come to someone such as me, we can discuss and see if they are an option. While we are on it, coming to your conservation professionals early is the best planning practice there is. Like I said there are other watershed (Firesteel Creek is a big one) and conservation group funds available that depending where you are at may apply but you won’t know unless you talk to someone in the know.