The DNR Division of Forestry's new Incentive for Certified Enrollment (ICE) program will help southern Indiana landowners to join the Classified Forest & Wildlands Program by reimbursing a portion of the survey costs associated with the enrollment process.
The Classified Forest & Wildlands application requires a legal description and plat of the land being enrolled. This typically costs the landowner between $150 and $500, depending on the size and shape of the area being enrolled. ICE reimbursements will range from $75 to $300, depending on the number of acres enrolled. Funding is available for a limited time.
To be eligible for ICE, landowners must own a minimum of 30 acres of forest on one property in one of the following counties: Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Clay, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Dubois, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Gibson, Greene, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Posey, Putnam, Ripley, Scott, Spencer, Sullivan, Switzerland, Union, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Vigo, Warrick, and Washington.
In addition, the landowner must accept the Classified Forest & Wildlands green certification benefit. Green certification provides independent verification that the forest is well managed.
The Division of Forestry received a grant from the U.S. Forest Service to increase the amount of well managed forest land in southern Indiana. The grant provides $40,000 to fund ICE. Applications will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis until the grant money is spent.
Currently there are 655,000 acres enrolled in the Classified Forest & Wildlands Program statewide. The program provides landowners a property tax reduction in return for managing their forest, grassland, shrublands, and wetlands for timber, wildlife habitat, and water quality.
For more information about the Classified Forest & Wildlands Program and Incentive for Certified Enrollment Program, contact your district forester. District forest contact information is available at http://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/4750.htm or by calling (317) 232-4105.
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