Source:  USDA, 2/2/21

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in North Carolina announced that counties are accepting applications for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) to address damages from Hurricane Michael that occurred in 2018. The EFRP sign-up period reopened on Jan. 19, 2021 and ends on March 11, 2021.

EFRP provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land to restore land damaged by a natural disaster. Before an application for EFRP assistance is approved, an onsite inspection of the damages by FSA, in cooperation with a state forester, is required to verify the damages from Hurricane Michael.

Counties that received presidential disaster designations following Hurricane Michael will be eligible. Foresters in Alamance, Alexander, Brunswick, Caswell, Chatham, Dare, Davie, Davidson, Forsyth, Granville, Hyde, Iredell, McDowell, Montgomery, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin  can apply for EFRP cost-share assistance through their local USDA Service Center.

“FSA remains committed to helping producers impacted by Hurricane Michael,” said Rob Satterfield, Acting North Carolina State Executive Director. “I encourage eligible producers to contact their county office as soon as possible to make an appointment to apply.”

To meet eligibility requirements, NIPF land must have existing tree cover or had tree cover immediately before Hurricane Michael 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.

For more information on EFRP, please contact your local FSA county office or visit https://www.farmers.gov/recover. To find your local office, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.