Landowners in Richland and Tensas parishes have an opportunity to participate in a new conservation initiative aimed at restoring and protecting bottomland hardwood forests across northeast Louisiana.
The program, led by Sow Success, Inc. with support from the Mississippi River Trust, provides financial incentives for landowners willing to plant native bottomland hardwood forests or place existing forestland into permanent conservation easements.
According to project organizers, funding has been secured to support the planting of 500 acres of native bottomland hardwood forest, with a per-acre incentive payment available to participating landowners. In addition, permanent conservation easements are being offered on 750 acres of existing bottomland forest.
The initiative targets the Mississippi River Delta region, including northeast Louisiana parishes such as Richland and Tensas, where large areas of marginal farmland and flood-prone property have historically supported bottomland forests.
Organizers said the effort is time-limited, with the goal of completing all project objectives within the next 12 months.
“We’ve lost too much forest across the Lower Mississippi River Valley to marginal farmland,” the project flyer states, noting the loss has affected wildlife habitat, water quality and soil stability.
The program emphasizes that private landowners play a critical role in restoring these landscapes while also improving long-term farm profitability.
Under the program, landowners who choose to establish new forest will have planting costs covered and will receive a peracre incentive payment. Those who place land into a permanent conservation easement may also qualify for significant tax benefits based on the value of the donated easement.
According to the Mississippi River Trust, land enrolled in the program remains privately owned.
Landowners and their heirs retain ownership and access to the property while ensuring the forest is permanently protected.
The flyer highlights several situations in which land may be eligible, including land that is currently unforested, classified as farmed wetlands, prone to flooding or hydric soils, or land that has recently exited or will soon exit a Conservation Reserve Program contract.
The project is part of a broader effort in the Boeuf-Tensas region of northeast Louisiana and southeast Arkansas. In Louisiana, the initiative includes Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas and West Carroll parishes.
Mississippi River Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization operating in the Lower Mississippi River Valley, is expected to serve as the holder of the conservation easements. The organization promotes economic solutions to conservation as a way to improve conditions for both people and wildlife in the region.
Organizers said the program is designed to provide simplicity and economic stability for landowners by removing uncertainty about land use while creating an enduring legacy for future generations.
Landowners interested in participating or learning more about the opportunity are encouraged to contact Kimberly Clayton of Sow Success, Inc., at 662639-1010 or by email at [email protected].
Additional information is also available through Mississippi River Trust, including a detailed fact sheet outlining eligibility requirements and program benefits.
