Forest Legacy Program
Resources for New Hampshire landowners regarding the Forest Legacy Program.
As part of the 1990 Farm Bill, Congress created the Forest Legacy Program to help protect environmentally important private forestlands threatened with conversion to non-forest uses. The Secretary of Agriculture is responsible for the development and administration of the Forest Legacy Program. The US Forest Service in cooperation with States and other units of government is responsible for the implementation of the program. States have been granted the authority to establish criteria for their programs within the framework of the national program to help address specific needs and goals of their state.
To help maintain the integrity and traditional uses of private forest lands, the Forest Legacy Program promotes the use of conservation easements, legally binding agreements transferring a negotiated set of property rights from one party to another. Participation in the program is entirely voluntary.
National Forest Legacy Program
Inflation Reduction Act
In 2022, upon the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), additional funding was made available to the Forest Legacy Program. Specifically, Subtitle D, Sec. 23003 (a). State and Private Forestry Conservation Programs – Appropriations provide competitive grants to States through the Forest Legacy Program established under section 7 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2103c) for projects for the acquisition of land and interests in land. The two applications – Large-Landscape Tract and Strategic-Small Tract - are specific to the IRA portion of the available Forest Legacy Program funding.