Wisconsin Forest Legacy Program

WI DNR runs the federal Forest Legacy Program in Wisconsin. The state buys conservation easements, or sometimes fee title, from willing owners of environmentally important private forest that is threatened with conversion to other uses. Under an easement the land stays privately owned and managed. Projects compete at the state and national levels and can take several years to complete.

• Land must be inside one of Wisconsin's five Forest Legacy Areas.

• Land must be 75% forested, or the owner must plant trees to meet the forest cover requirement.

• Owner must be willing to sell or donate the interest in perpetuity.

• Landowner must practice sustainable forestry under a management plan prepared by a natural resource professional.

Perpetual conservation easement, or a fee sale to the state. A 25% non-federal cost-share is required and can be cash, in-kind services, or donated land or interest in land. Ranking is competitive at the state and national levels, and projects take several years.

Published amounts: The Forest Legacy Program provides federal matching funds which are used to purchase conservation easements from willing sellers. Projects selected for funding require a 25% non-federal cost-share, with FLP funds contributing no more than 75% of the project costs.

Request an application from the Forest Legacy Program coordinator and return the completed application to Ron Gropp, WI DNR Division of Forestry, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921. Applicants are encouraged to review the National Forest Legacy Program Scoring Guidance while completing it.

Deadline text on the page: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.