AGFC opens second round of Conservation Incentive Program

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is accepting applications to reimburse landowners for approved practices like prescribed fire that help promote wildlife habitat.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is accepting applications through Feb. 6 from landowners interested in participating in the agency’s Conservation Incentive Program, which reimburses certain land management practices that promote native wildlife habitat.

The program, launched in 2024, supported wildlife habitat development and invasive species management on private lands across Arkansas. Using $3.5 million set aside by the 2023 Arkansas General Assembly, the commission previously offered up to $10,000 per landowner for nine conservation practices aimed at improving water quality, controlling feral hogs, using prescribed fire, and managing bottomland hardwood forests to support wetland conservation.

For the second round, AGFC has secured a $650,000 grant through the U.S. Forest Service designated for forestry-related conservation work. The commission also increased the maximum reimbursement to $20,000 per landowner to encourage larger-scale restoration efforts.

“Private landowners are the backbone of conservation in Arkansas, as they own more than 80 percent of the state,” said Garrick Dugger, chief of the AGFC Private Lands Habitat Division. “By focusing this round of funding on three specific, proven practices, we can move the needle on habitat quality for quail, turkey, deer and many other species Arkansans care about.”

Removing invasive tree species and thinning dense forests to create more native forage for wildlife are both practices offered in the most recent round of Conservation Incentive Program payments.

Unlike the first round, which was awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, applicants will be ranked, and selected landowners will be notified before any work begins. All practices require a minimum of 10 acres of habitat manipulation to qualify for reimbursement.

The second round focuses on three conservation practices. Landowners may receive $200 per acre for upland hardwood and pine forest management to improve understory vegetation and wildlife habitat through approved timber stand improvement methods.

The commission will also reimburse $1.50 per linear foot for dozer lines and $50 per acre for prescribed burning to improve native plant communities. Burns involving agricultural stubble or introduced pasture grasses are not eligible.

In addition, AGFC will reimburse $200 per acre for invasive tree removal targeting Chinese tallow, tree of heaven and Callery pear. Removal must be part of an approved management plan and include herbicide use to restore native plant communities.

More information and application details are available at agfc.com/education/conservation-incentive-program.

Landowners can get reimbursed for fuel and equipment costs associated with creating new fire breaks to safely conduct prescribed burns.

Landowners who do not qualify for the current practices may still contact AGFC private lands habitat biologists for individualized management plans and information about future funding opportunities, Dugger said.

Visit www.agfc.com/privatelands for more information.

All images via the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission