THE PLAINS, Ohio – Rural Action is providing free site visits and technical assistance to landowners in 44 Ohio counties, including Columbiana, Mahoning and Jefferson, for advice on agroforestry and wildlife habitat practices such as reforestation, forest farming, silvopasture, wildlife habitat and water quality protection through Rural Action’s Sustainable Forestry and Watersheds programs.

The Sustainable Forestry team is working with the US Forest Service on a Forest Landowner Support project to provide technical assistance on forest farming, silvopasture, invasive species management and opportunities for sustainable forest management. The Watersheds team is working with landowners to develop plans to improve aquatic in-stream habitat through streambank and floodplain reforestation, invasive species control, and other practices that benefit water quality and wildlife habitat. The landowners are encouraged to work with the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to learn more about potential cost-share opportunities such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to implement their plan to improve wildlife habitat. I reworded this a bit- The shared Rural Action, US Forest Service, and NRCS goal is to help landowners develop plans and access potential funding for the implementation of agroforestry practices, sustainable forest management, and water quality protection.

During a site visit, landowners will have the opportunity to show their property to Rural Action staff, discuss goals and challenges and identify opportunities for sustainable forest management, wildlife habitat and invasive species removal. In addition to the site visit, landowners will receive literature outlining details from the visit and next steps including This type of planning assistance can help landowners better understand their existing forest and water assets, identify new management opportunities or expand an existing enterprise.

Site visits are conducted from late April through early October. There is no minimum acreage to qualify for a site visit.

Those interested in technical assistance from Forestry and/or Watersheds, complete the intake survey and provide any details that will help best serve. For information about Forestry contact Andrea Miller at andrea@ruralaction.org, and for information about Watersheds contact Ryan Gilliom at ryan@ruralaction.org.