The federal government established the Forest Legacy Program (FLP) at the USDA Forest Service with the intent to partner with state agencies to protect important forestlands under threat of conversion to other uses. The FLP program uses federal grant funding to support state efforts to identify and protect important private forest tracts threatened by conversion to non-forest uses.
FLP federal funding facilitates the fee simple purchase of land or the encumbrance of conservation easements to protect forestlands that provide public benefits, including sustainable forest resources, clean water and air, wildlife habitat, and forested scenic views, as well as protect sensitive sites and essential habitat for threatened and endangered species.
If you are interested in the Forest Legacy Program, read the information below in detail, and if you’d like to apply, e-mail the Forestland Conservation Program.
Learn more about how the Virginia Department of Forestry works to conserve forests.
Forest Legacy Program in Virginia
The Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) is the state lead agency responsible for managing the program which pursues federal grant funds for the conservation of important forestlands in the Commonwealth. The program continues to be an important part of Virginia’s forested land conservation efforts.
One of the primary tenets of the FLP in Virginia is to ensure the conservation of working forests to provide a multitude of benefits to Virginians. These working forests protect water quality and provide wildlife habitat, forest products, opportunities for recreation and other public benefits. Providing economic incentives to landowners to keep their existing forestland facilitates sustainable forest management and supports strong markets for forest products. Loss of forested areas poses an increasing threat to the integrity of Virginia’s natural resources. As these areas are fragmented and disappear, so do the benefits they provide.
During the program’s first 24 years in Virginia, through December 2023, FLP funding supported the conservation of 35 tracts totaling 29,151 acres.
Eligibility and Potential Award Benefits
To most effectively utilize limited resources, the FLP focuses on priority areas in the state that meet program eligibility criteria and possess the highest conservation value. Such criteria include the threat to conversion, presence of natural heritage resources, production of forest products, and watershed resources. To be eligible for the FLP, land must be located wholly or partially within the designated Forest Legacy Area for the state. A map of the current Forest Legacy Area is found above; if eligibility cannot be determined, contact us to determine if the tract falls within the Forest Legacy Area.
The FLP pays up to 75% of the appraised value for conservation easement or fee interest tracts, with the required matching funds coming from private, state, or local sources. Landowners may benefit from reduced taxes if they choose to donate the required matching funds for the program by accepting what is called a bargain sale. For lands being offered for a conservation easement, a multiple-resource forest management plan must be developed or updated prior to award payout.
To Apply
Landowner Application and Deadlines
Landowners interested in the Forestry Legacy Program must prepare an application for the program and also choose a Project Advocate to research the property’s conservation attributes, prepare a proposal and a GIS-quality map, and possibly combine several properties together in an effort to increase the scope and competitiveness of the application.
The Project Advocate is typically a land trust or other private land conservation organization, but may also be the land conservation staff of a governmental entity or any other interested organization. These organizational entities have staff and resources that allow for improved GIS map making and conservation value identification. Due to the competitive nature of the grant funding program, landowners or Project Advocates are advised to contact us early to request preliminary project feedback while contemplating a proposal. Providing project information that speaks to the scale, conservation impact and rationale of the project’s relevance to the FLP will aid in the preliminary feedback offered.
Program Funding
There are two funding sources for the USDA Forest Service Forest Legacy Program…the annual funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) allocated by the U.S. Congress and additional funding that has been made available through the 2022 U.S. Congressional passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). As a result, there are now multiple grant application cycles per year for the available IRA and LWCF funding.
For specific deadlines and application requirements, refer to the Forest Legacy Program Request for Proposals documents in the Additional Resources below or e-mail us.
Application Review and Ranking
Project proposals received during each grant application cycle are reviewed and ranked by the state’s Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee and presented to the State Forester for nomination of top Virginia proposals for submission to compete for federal funding during the national ranking process.
A panel of FLP personnel from across the nation determine the national project rankings, which are then considered by the President and by Congress during federal budget deliberations. Highly-ranked state proposals then receive federal funding (or partial funding) in the Appropriations Act.
Additional Resources
| Image | Title | ID | Description | Content Type | View | hf:tax:document-category | hf:tax:Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | An Overview of Forest Carbon Credit Programs in Virginia | VT-CNRE-177P | Woodland owners increasingly hear about opportunities to earn income by participating in emerging forest carbon markets. This Virginia Cooperative Extension publication provides an overview of these markets and introduces the carbon credit programs operating in Virginia. This information is intended to help Virginia’s woodland owners decide if taking part in a forest carbon credit program is a good fit for their management objectives. | Publication | View | forest-management forest | publication |
 | Forest Legacy Program | P00200 | Brochure provides information regarding the Forest Legacy Program available to landowners for conserving their forestland, including program overview, public purposes, methods of acquisition, application process, and program requirements. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forest Legacy Program Application – Conservation Easement | 10.04 | Application to apply to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program via conservation easement. | Form | View | forest | form |
| Forest Legacy Program Application – Fee Simple Purchase | 10.05 | Application to apply to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program via fee simple purchase. | Form | View | forest | form |
| Forest Legacy Program Application – Property Proposal | 10.06 | Application Property Proposal is to be submitted as a part of the submission package when applying to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program. | Form | View | forest | form |
| Forest Legacy Program Application – Property Proposal – Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding Supplement | 10.07 | Application Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding Supplement is to be submitted as a part of the submission package when applying to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program during IRA funding application cycles. | Form | View | forest | form |
 | Forest Legacy Program Request for Proposals | The Forest Legacy Program assists in protecting important forested lands through conservation easements and fee simple land purchases. Conservation easements allow private individuals to retain ownership while conserving forested lands to protect forested lands, in perpetuity, for future generations. Applications are accepted via requests for proposals. | Document | View | forest | document | |
 | Legacy Planning Stories | Stories about how landowners “like me” are ensuring the future of their land. | Publication | View | forest | publication | |
 | Legacy Planning… A Guide for Virginia Landowners | CNRE-121 | A comprehensive guide to successful legacy planning for your forestland. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Woodland Owner Legacy Planning Benefits and Barriers | Summary report of research about the benefits and barriers for landowners in keeping their forestland in tact. | Publication | View | forest | publication | |
 | Woodland Owners: The Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Rule May Apply to YOU! | In September 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued the Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Rule under the Corporate Transparency Act. This rule requires disclosing the identity of beneficial owners of small business entities beginning on January 1, 2024. | Document | View | forest-management forest | document |
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