IL NRCS Announces 2023 RCPP Application Cutoff Date: Southern Illinois Oak Ecosystem Restorations

State Conservationist Ivan Dozier announced that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding for the Southern Illinois Oak Ecosystem Restorations effort in Southern Illinois. Illinois NRCS has partnered with the Shawnee Resource Conservation Development Inc. to help producers address resource concerns such as increasing terrestrial habitat and preventing plant degradation on forested lands.    

Landowners can apply for assistance through RCPP to implement practices, such as forest stand improvement, brush management, and tree/shrub establishment. The project focus is to improve oak forests in the following five Illinois counties: Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Pope, and Union. 
       
NRCS financial assistance will be available to Illinois producers who have land in the above-mentioned counties. While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit by March 3, 2023 a signed application (NRCS-CPA-1200 form) to the local NRCS field office, or through the Farmers.gov website using their account, to ensure their applications are considered for 2023 funding.  

A blank NRCS-CPA-1200 application form may be obtained from the local office or the NRCS website. Producers wishing to use Farmers.gov, can sign in or create an account by clicking on “Sign up” in the upper right portion of the website.

To see if you are eligible to participate in the program, producers should contact their local NRCS field office or visit the Illinois NRCS website.