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POLK COUNTY—The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency recently announced that Polk, Rutherford, Henderson, and Transylvania counties are accepting applications for the Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program to address damages from Hurricane Helene.

The Emergency Conservation Program provides cost-share reimbursement to producers to restore farmland to pre-disaster conditions, and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program is a cost-share program that provides financial and technical assistance to restore nonindustrial private forestland. The signup for both programs ends on June 1.

“The Farm Service Agency can help producers and landowners recover from natural disasters that impacted their operation,” said FSA County Executive Director Kelly Springs. “If you have an immediate need to clean up and restore your operation, please call our office before beginning any restoration activities.”

Approved Emergency Conservation Program applicants can receive up to 75% of the cost of the approved restoration activity with a maximum cost share of $500,000 per natural disaster event. 

Approved Emergency Forest Restoration Program practices include tree removal, access road repair, replanting, and firebreaks. To meet eligibility requirements, land must have existing tree cover or have had tree cover immediately before the natural disaster and be sustainable for growing trees.

To learn more about the programs, producers can contact the County FSA Office at (828) 693-1406 or visit farmers.gov/protection-recovery.