Browse Ambrook’s collection of grants, loans, discounts, cost shares, easements, and insurance for timber.

Start by checking your eligibility with AFF's map-based tool at https://qualification.familyforestcarbon.org/map/ — enter the property address or nearest town, or zoom/pan to select one or more parcels under the same ownership (submit parcels under different ownership separately).

After you check eligibility, AFF's team reaches out to answer questions and help you decide if Fields & Forests fits your goals. If you decide to continue with enrollment, AFF connects you with a local professional forester who walks your land and confirms your eligible acres. When you are ready, AFF sends you a payment offer to review and approve. Once you have signed your official landowner agreement, AFF begins processing your first payment and your forester reaches out to get started on your management plan.

An AFF-contracted forester then oversees site preparation in the late-summer or fall months ahead of the winter planting season (usually 1–2 rounds of chemical site prep, and sometimes mechanical site prep such as chipping, mastication, or piling). AFF provides loblolly pine seedlings adapted to your area, and contracted crews plant in the late winter months at a density of 519 seedlings per acre; your own consulting forester is welcome on site throughout. AFF then works to ensure seedling survival in the first year of growth and provides ongoing technical support and guidance.

To discuss whether Fields & Forests fits your goals for your land, connect with the team at 229-231-3818 or fieldsandforests@forestfoundation.org.

Fields & Forests Team

Program inquiries and enrollment

Fields & Forests works with landowners in the Southeast to diversify the income from their land by planting loblolly pine trees on open fields. This low-maintenance opportunity provides guaranteed annual income ($30/acre/year), professional forestry support, and the profits from any timber harvests the landowner chooses to conduct. The program also coordinates and pays for all pine seedlings, land preparation, and planting.


The Fields & Forests practice is designed to provide the financial and technical assistance to successfully establish loblolly&#x2004;pine seedlings and sustainably manage these growing pine stands. The practice increases carbon sequestration and storage, diversifies revenue streams for landowners, enhances wildlife habitat, and helps protect water quality.


Benefits as published by AFF: no up-front costs (AFF pays for and handles all site preparation and tree planting); guaranteed payments of $30/acre each year, to be used however the landowner wishes; timber revenue (the landowner keeps all profits from approved thinning and harvesting); low-maintenance (less labor-intensive than producing row crops or raising livestock); land diversification (an additional revenue stream while continuing to farm, graze cattle, or raise other livestock on remaining acreage); and forestry expertise (access to AFF's team of professional foresters, or the ability to work with the landowner's own trusted forester).


Fields & Forests is a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation organization supporting family landowners. The majority of its funding currently comes from private donations, grants, and the sale of carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.


**Status:** Enrollment is open.



Fields & Forests works with landowners in the Southeast to diversify the income from their land by planting loblolly pine trees on open fields. This low-maintenance opportunity provides guaranteed annual income ($30/acre/year), professional forestry support, and the profits from any timber harvests the landowner chooses to conduct. The program also coordinates and pays for all pine seedlings, land preparation, and planting.

The Fields & Forests practice is designed to provide the financial and technical assistance to successfully establish loblolly pine seedlings and sustainably manage these growing pine stands. The practice increases carbon sequestration and storage, diversifies revenue streams for landowners, enhances wildlife habitat, and helps protect water quality.

Benefits as published by AFF: no up-front costs (AFF pays for and handles all site preparation and tree planting); guaranteed payments of $30/acre each year, to be used however the landowner wishes; timber revenue (the landowner keeps all profits from approved thinning and harvesting); low-maintenance (less labor-intensive than producing row crops or raising livestock); land diversification (an additional revenue stream while continuing to farm, graze cattle, or raise other livestock on remaining acreage); and forestry expertise (access to AFF's team of professional foresters, or the ability to work with the landowner's own trusted forester).

Fields & Forests is a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), a national conservation organization supporting family landowners. The majority of its funding currently comes from private donations, grants, and the sale of carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.

Status: Enrollment is open.

Enrollment is open to landowners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina with 30 or more acres of land.

- Land eligibility: landowners must have at least 30 acres of eligible unplanted fields suitable for pine planting and long-term forest management. The property must be privately owned and the project area at least 30 acres; project areas of less than 30 acres can be considered for enrollment if they are clustered and in adjacent/neighboring properties. The property must be located within the historical range of loblolly pine in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
- Land use history: eligible land must not have been forested for at least 10 years prior to enrollment. This means land that was recently clearcut, or damaged by a natural disaster, is not eligible.
- Encumbrances: the project area cannot be subject to any existing legal encumbrance that restricts timber harvests.
- Enrollment commitment: participating landowners commit to a 30-year enrollment period focused on sustainable forest management and long-term stewardship.
- Continued farming: a minimum of 30 plantable acres is required, but any land above and beyond that minimum may remain open field and be kept as pasture or cropland.

Landowners who already own 30 or more acres of existing forest should look at AFF's separate Family Forest Carbon Program instead.

A contract to sell an environmental outcome the operation produces - sequestered carbon, a water-quality credit, a habitat credit - to a buyer, rather than receiving an award. Payment is typically per unit (per acre or per ton CO2e) over a multi-year term and contingent on verification, so records using this instrument carry the payment.* and contract.* fields rather than award.min/award.max. Covers both credit-generating programs, where credits are sold to outside buyers, and supply-chain insetting programs, where a company the operation already sells to pays for the practice.

Environmental Market

- Program page: https://familyforestcarbon.org/fieldsandforests/
- Eligibility check tool: https://qualification.familyforestcarbon.org/map/
- Fields & Forests Practice Overview (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/1c0aa770-1ed7-4211-ab5d-4b76fb0784eb
- Who is Behind Fields & Forests (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/e8eb0d0d-8471-4ee6-bc13-be4dcb54be9f
- Why Loblolly Pine? (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/b722d400-97d9-417e-bdb4-8fafbd2f91ec
- Total Project Value of Fields & Forests (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/dc39cc5a-e080-4a91-abc6-40dec576126b
- Planting Overview & Timeline (PDF): https://assets.familyforestcarbon.org/assets/a3ead5f0-b903-42ad-849e-4b5e5bf2ab8c
- A landowner webinar recording is embedded on the program page
- American Forest Foundation: https://www.forestfoundation.org/
- Family Forest Carbon Program (for landowners who already own 30+ acres of forest): https://familyforestcarbon.org/

Trees

Forest Management

Disaster Relief

Marketing

Emergency

- Contract term: 30 years
- Practice payments: $30 per acre, per year, for the full 30-year contract. Payments can be used however the landowner wishes, and account for projected increases in carbon market prices while protecting the landowner from potential market downturns. (AFF's sample offer: 50 project acres × $30/acre = $1,500 annual payment.)
- Establishment costs: AFF pays for all costs associated with site preparation, planting, and forest management plan development on the project acres — about $600 per acre by AFF's own accounting (site prep $120/acre, seedlings $110/acre, machine or hand planting $120/acre, herbicide release $60/acre, forest management plan ~$1,500, forester oversight $150/acre, and replanting at $330/acre if survival is under 85%).
- Ownership and access: the landowner continues to own and have full access to the land. AFF leases only the carbon rights, which means the landowner cannot enroll in another carbon payment program during the contract term.
- Timber revenue: the landowner keeps all profits from approved thinning and harvesting. Thinning and harvesting are not required, but if undertaken during the 30-year contract, certain requirements must be followed per the agreement:
- Thinning: when a stand reaches more than 120 ft²/acre the landowner may choose to thin (pine stands typically reach this volume between 12–17 years of age). Stand density must not fall below 60 ft²/acre. The landowner must notify AFF of the recommended thinning treatment and provide any data requested.
- Harvesting: the landowner must submit a pre-harvest volume analysis prepared by a qualified forester along with a written report describing the goals of the harvest. If a harvest is completed before the 30-year contract expires, the harvested area must be replanted — AFF will pay to prepare and replant the harvested area within the project area(s). AFF estimates a harvest near the end of the 30 years can return about $2,000 per acre.
- Controlling competing vegetation: optional, per the recommendations in the forest management plan; the landowner must notify AFF about upcoming treatments.
- Transfer: the contract "runs with the land" — any future owners would need to take over the agreement for the remainder of the original enrollment period.
- Other income the landowner may keep: revenue from continued farming or grazing cattle on adjacent fields, non-timber products such as pine straw and decorative pinecones, hunting or recreation leases, conservation easements, and eligibility for tax incentives or cost-share programs.
- Funding source: the majority of program funding comes from private donations, grants, and the sale of carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market.

Applicants must sign in or register on the program portal to apply. Questions about the application should be directed to 1-800-435-7352. The application deadline is January 1, 2027.

FDACS Consumer Assistance (1-800-HELP-FLA)

The Florida Block Grant Disaster Relief Program, developed by FDACS in partnership with USDA, provides financial support to help agricultural producers rebuild, restore operations, and return to full production after hurricane losses.



Eligible applicants are agricultural producers whose operations experienced damage or loss during the 2023 or 2024 hurricane seasons.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Coronavirus

Fencing

Trade Relief

Wildfire

Buildings

Construction

Greenhouse

High Tunnel

HVAC

Irrigation

Lighting

Repairs

Storage

Drought

Flood

Hurricane

Tornado

Weather

The program covers: Infrastructure — restoration, repair, or replacement of agricultural structures like greenhouses, barns, irrigation systems, and livestock shelters; Market Loss — compensation for specialty crop producers (strawberries, watermelons, blueberries, tomatoes, snap beans, cucumbers, bell peppers, sweet corn); Citrus — economic loss recovery, grove damage, replanting, and infrastructure restoration; and Timber — debris removal, cleanup, and reforestation for landowners with at least 10 contiguous storm-damaged acres. The page states the program will deliver more than $600 million.

The program will accept new applications from September 1 – October 9, 2026. Contact your local County Forester office for details.

Florida Forest Service — Main Office

The Florida Southern Pine Beetle Assistance and Prevention Program helps non-industrial private forest landowners reduce pine beetle damage through management practices. It provides partial cost reimbursement or incentive payments for forest treatments that improve stand health and decrease infestation susceptibility. Funding comes from temporary USDA Forest Service grants.



Eligible applicants are non-industrial private forest landowners located in 44 northern Florida counties within the southern pine beetle range. Minimum tract size is 10 acres (5 acres for first pulpwood thinning). One application per landowner annually, with up to two approved practices per year.

A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

Inputs

Maximum funding is $10,000 per landowner per year. All payments are made at specified per-acre or per-seedling rates. Eligible practices: first pulpwood thinning, prescribed burning, planting longleaf and/or slash pine, and mechanical underbrush treatments. Limited funding is available.

Applications are available from LDAF foresters, industry foresters, forestry consultants, or foresters from other governmental agencies, and a non-refundable application fee is required. A professional forester trained in Louisiana's FPP prepares a management plan stating the practice(s) and acres requested; an LDAF forester approves the plan and forwards it to the state office. As each practice is completed, the landowner notifies the LDAF forester, who makes a final inspection; the landowner then provides copies of all receipts to the LDAF forester for payment. Contact your local District Office or email LDAF for questions.

The Forest Productivity Program (FPP), administered by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), provides financial assistance to eligible landowners for establishing and improving a crop of trees. The program provides an incentive to offset the cost of implementing specific forestry practices designed to&#x2004;produce a timber crop. Incentive payments to the landowner help with the cost of implementing one or more forestry practices to establish and manage a timber crop, and eligible landowners can receive up to the maximum approved amount of FPP assistance each fiscal year. Eligible forestry practices include tree planting, post-planting site preparation to control undesirable vegetation, site preparation for natural regeneration, and control of competing vegetation (chemical herbicides or prescribed burning). Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.



The Forest Productivity Program (FPP), administered by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF), provides financial assistance to eligible landowners for establishing and improving a crop of trees. The program provides an incentive to offset the cost of implementing specific forestry practices designed to produce a timber crop. Incentive payments to the landowner help with the cost of implementing one or more forestry practices to establish and manage a timber crop, and eligible landowners can receive up to the maximum approved amount of FPP assistance each fiscal year. Eligible forestry practices include tree planting, post-planting site preparation to control undesirable vegetation, site preparation for natural regeneration, and control of competing vegetation (chemical herbicides or prescribed burning). Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

FPP assistance is available to landowners in all Louisiana parishes who own a minimum of 10 contiguous acres suitable for growing a commercially valuable timber species. There is no maximum size of ownership limiting participation. Each landowner who participates in an FPP cooperative agreement with LDAF is required to maintain the forestry usage for a period of 10 years; if the land is sold or conveyed before the end of the agreement, the original recipient of funds is bound unless the new owner assumes responsibility in writing.

Fertilizer

Nutrient Management

Cost-share rate: 50% of your actual cost, capped at a per-practice rate schedule. The application/cooperative agreement states: "I will be paid a cost-share rate of 50% of the actual cost not to exceed the stated rate in effect at time this agreement is signed and that I am not allowed to receive more that $15,000 in any one fiscal year."

Annual cap: $15,000 per landowner per fiscal year. Where forestland is owned jointly, the joint owners count as a single eligible landowner for the maximum payment, and multiple ownerships apply under a single tax ID number.

Per-practice rates: Set annually, not on the program page. The State Stewardship Coordinating Committee reviews rates, the Forestry Commission approves them, and "the approved rates will be published in the Louisiana Administrative Code" (maximum payment limitation is set in LAC 7:XXXIX.1307). Ask your LDAF forester for the rate sheet in effect.

Application fee: $25, non-refundable, per application — "Each application will be assessed a $25 fee." A separate application is required for each non-contiguous property.

Contract length: 10 years. "Each landowner who participates in a cooperative agreement with the LDAF shall be required to maintain the forestry usage for a period of 10 years" from the date of Certification of Performance (prescribed burning exempted). If the practice is not maintained, LDAF initiates a refund and can sue to recover the state's cost plus court costs and attorney fees.

Timing: You have 11 months (July 1 – May 31) to complete the authorized practices, and "no extensions will be granted." You bear all costs up front; payment follows LDAF's final inspection and your submission of receipts. Partial payments are not made.

All applications must be originated by the applicant (business professionals may assist) and sent to MARBIDCO Forestry Loan Program, 1410 Forest Drive, Suite 21, Annapolis, MD 21403, or bcadden@marbidco.org. Applications are processed as received.

Brian Cadden

Maryland Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Development Company

The Forestry Equipment and Working Capital Loan Fund addresses the financing needs of Maryland's forest products-related businesses for working capital and equipment purchases, helping them innovate, take advantage of emerging market opportunities, or make operations more sustainable. Both Eastern Shore and Western Shore forest products businesses are served.



Open to Maryland forest products-related businesses. A commercial lender must provide a referral letter and complete the attachment describing current loan obligations. Because of the highly leveraged nature of many forest products businesses, MARBIDCO's maximum outstanding aggregate portfolio balance under this program cannot exceed a total of $400,000; prospective applicants should contact the MARBIDCO office for guidance before completing an application.

A payment that must be returned to the provider following specified terms of repayment and interest rate.

Loan

Business Plan

Cash Rent

Refinancing

Transition

Succession

Loans range from $15,000 to $150,000. Interest rate is established case-by-case based on anticipated credit risk, with a minimum fixed rate of 6.25%. Origination fee: 1% of loan amount. Typical equity requirement: 5-10% of project cost. Commercial lender participation is required.

Complete the application through the online portal at https://maine-dacf.wizehive.app/program/nrdrap/. Paper applications are available at local FSA or UMaine Extension Offices, by request, or as a downloadable PDF. Application period: August 14, 2026 - November 6, 2026. Program staff hold in-person office hours at FSA offices and virtual Zoom office hours during the application window. Applicants do not need to attend a session to apply.

Lily Kenny

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) administers the Maine Natural Resources Disaster Relief Assistance Program (NRDRAP), which provides assistance to eligible producers impacted by severe weather in 2023 and 2024. This effort is supported by the federal Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025. Maine farmers, forestry businesses, and other eligible producers who experienced weather-related losses in 2023 or 2024 may be able to receive assistance through&#x2004;this program and are encouraged to apply.


NRDRAP is designed to help support recovery from eligible losses caused by severe weather, including: crop loss; aquaculture loss; standing timber loss; harvested timber loss; on-farm infrastructure loss; and bare-ground practices necessary to mitigate land loss.


Maine has received $60 million in funding to distribute to Maine producers. Maine successfully advocated for including compensation for infrastructure losses in its program, recognizing that these were among the most devastating losses resulting from weather events in 2023 and 2024.



The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) administers the Maine Natural Resources Disaster Relief Assistance Program (NRDRAP), which provides assistance to eligible producers impacted by severe weather in 2023 and 2024. This effort is supported by the federal Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2025. Maine farmers, forestry businesses, and other eligible producers who experienced weather-related losses in 2023 or 2024 may be able to receive assistance through this program and are encouraged to apply.

NRDRAP is designed to help support recovery from eligible losses caused by severe weather, including: crop loss; aquaculture loss; standing timber loss; harvested timber loss; on-farm infrastructure loss; and bare-ground practices necessary to mitigate land loss.

Maine has received $60 million in funding to distribute to Maine producers. Maine successfully advocated for including compensation for infrastructure losses in its program, recognizing that these were among the most devastating losses resulting from weather events in 2023 and 2024.

Eligible producers must have experienced weather-related losses in 2023 or 2024. Key requirements:

- Eligible losses must not have been ones that could have been covered by other existing USDA disaster programs, insurance payouts, or other relief programs.
- Eligible applicants must have ownership or legal authority over the parcel(s) seeking assistance.
- Before receiving payments, applicants will be asked to register as a vendor with the State of Maine.

For timber assistance only, applicants must hire a licensed forester to complete additional required forms (the forester's services are eligible for reimbursement).

Applicants will be eligible for a single payment that shall not exceed 95% of their eligible loss. Upon the closure of the application in November, the Department will determine the payment factor (up to 95%, based on the total loss coverage requested by all eligible applicants and the total $60M available) applied to each applicant's eligible loss calculation. Payments made under NRDRAP are considered taxable income and must be reported on taxes. Applicants must maintain financial and other records related to this program for three (3) years, as required by the USDA.

Contact your service forester, who completes the practice description, acres, estimated cost, and maximum cost-share amount payable before you sign; do not begin the practice before receiving written approval. Recipients receive an IRS Form 1099-G for cost-shares received.

Laura Upham

The Delaware Forest Service, in cooperation with the USDA, offers cost-share assistance to private forest landowners for activities such as tree planting and timber stand improvement. It is a distinct state-funded cost-share program alongside the federal CREP and EQIP; Forest Service personnel work with landowners and the USDA to ensure funds are properly spent.



Private forest landowners in Delaware. The application requires a stewardship plan (with author and plan date) and a service forester's certification of the practice.

Education

State-funded cost-share for tree planting and timber stand improvement. The cost-share percentage, per-practice cap, and program pool are not published on the Delaware Forest Service source (the maximum payable is set per applicant by the service forester). Recipients must maintain the approved practice for a minimum of ten years or refund all or part of the funds paid.

Interested landowners should contact their local Area Forester to determine eligibility and complete the planning process prior to sign-up. Sign-ups occur four times throughout the year.

Tennessee Department of Agriculture

This program promotes sustainable forestry on family forestland by providing cost-share incentives for long-term forest investments that deliver multiple resource benefits such as timber, wildlife habitat, clean water, and soil protection. It operates under the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program (TAEP).



Eligible participants include private individuals, joint owners, non-profit corporations (excluding wood-using industries), and Tennessee resident businesses. Ineligible parties: government entities, wood-using industries deriving more than 50% income from wood products, publicly-traded corporations, and commercial recreation operations. Minimum requirement: at least 10 acres of forestland, at least 5 contiguous acres, and at least 120 feet in width (riparian zones exempt).

Conservation

Reimbursement ranges from 50% to 75% cost share, with a combined maximum reimbursement of up to $20,000 per year. Eligible practices include Forest Establishment (site preparation, planting hardwood/softwood seedlings, vegetation control, prescribed burning, subsoiling) and Forest Stand Improvement (competition control in young stands, pre-commercial thinning, crop tree release).

Discuss your needs with a VEDA lender before applying (802-828-5627 or info@veda.org). Download the Agricultural and Forestry Loan Application or obtain it from VEDA's office.

VEDA / VACC (general)

VEDA created special loan products with subsidized interest rates to meet the working-capital and capital-asset financing needs of Vermont forestry and forest-products businesses, with even deeper discounts for the purchase or refinancing of certain low-impact logging equipment. Administered through the Vermont Agricultural Credit Corporation (VACC).



Businesses in the forest economy, including foresters, loggers, log truckers, biomass producers, sawmills, firewood producers, and wood-product manufacturers, in good standing with all state agencies. Loan proceeds must be used for projects located in Vermont and use forest products at least partially produced in Vermont. Purposes: capital assets (vehicles, machinery, equipment such as log trucks, excavators, feller bunchers, wood processors), operating expenses, seasonal working capital, debt refinancing, and qualifying low-impact logging equipment.

Legal & Finance

Maximum loan is the lesser of 90% of the value of the securing assets or $500,000. Interest is VEDA's fixed or variable Agricultural Loan Rate minus 1% for the first five years, then VEDA's prevailing variable rate. Terms are based on the useful life of assets (typically up to 10 years for equipment, up to 5 years for working-capital lines). Loans are secured by business/personal assets and guaranteed by any owner of 20% or more. Low-impact logging equipment (with LEAP or Master Logger certification) may qualify for up to an $800,000 loan at 2.5% interest, supported by the Clean Water Fund. A commitment fee of 0.5% ($3,500 maximum) applies.

The 2026 application window ran January 13 – March 27, 2026. Landowners must contact their local Florida Forest Service County Forester to begin the application process.

FDACS — Grants Office

The RESTORE Landowner Incentive Program aims to increase the acreage of healthy pine ecosystems in Florida by helping non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners through cost-share reimbursement for approved forest management practices that enhance water resources and forest health, funded by the RESTORE Act.



Applicants must be non-industrial private landowners, county/local governments, or registered nonprofit organizations owning their own land. Properties must be located within the designated RESTORE project area and have a minimum practice area of 10 acres (funding caps at 250 acres).

Water Management

The program reimburses two practice categories: Tree Establishment (site preparation, seedling purchase, and planting) and Timber Stand Improvement (first pulpwood thinning, underbrush treatment, and prescribed burning). All on-the-ground practices must be completed no later than April 30, 2027.

Applications were accepted until June 30, 2024, via the online portal at IdaliaTimberRecovery.FDACS.gov or by mail. Contact Will Liner, CFA Supervisor: William.Liner@FDACS.gov, (850) 681-5881.

Will Liner

The Hurricane Idalia Silviculture Recovery Program aims to restore Florida's forest lands damaged by Hurricane Idalia through cost-share funding specifically for site preparation and tree replanting on classified agricultural lands.



Eligible applicants are timber landowners in 17 counties: Charlotte, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Suwannee, and Taylor. Sites must have been forested on August 30, 2023, with significant hurricane-related timber damage.

Reimbursement covers 75% of actual costs or the practice maximum, whichever is lower, with a maximum of $250,000 per agreement. Eligible practices: site preparation, pine seedling replanting, seedling purchase, and post-planting herbicide costs.

List of Agricultural Funding for Timber