Forestry Legacy Program for Southwestern Illinois

Forested areas in Southwestern Illinois are being lost due to urbanization and rural residences being built in areas that were once used to produce lumber and support the wildlife resources of the region. These same forested areas were an asset in watershed management and flood reduction in the region. With the increased pressure on forested lands timber resources are declining along with wildlife habitat. Flooding is increasing as these forested areas are cleared for development.

To assist forest landowners in protecting the forest a program funded by USDA Forest Service has been created for selected areas. This program is called Forest Legacy. Areas that are designated to be eligible for inclusion in the program are able to compete for financial assistance to assist with the purchase of a conservation easement to protect the forest from conversion to other uses. The Forest Legacy program is designed to assist working forests – forests that can be harvested, according to a forest management plan, to produce timber and other products.

Southwestern Illinois is fortunate to have a significant area of forest and can boast of having the largest contiguous bottomland hardwood forest in the state. In addition the limestone bluffs are a linear forest from Randolph Co. to Madison Co. Additional areas of forest exist in the Silver Creek tributary and other upland sites throughout the region.

The program is voluntary and provides a financial incentive to protect the forest.  Additional information on the program and prioritized projects for 2005 can be found here.

The Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation & Development, Inc./NRCS is an equal opportunity provider and employer.