Financial
relief will soon be available to assist timber owners adversely affected by Hurricane
Michael in 2018, as well as the Lee County tornadoes of March 2019. Administered
by the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Hurricane Michael Block Grant is made possible
through an agreement with the USDA Farm Service Agency.
This program was designed to provide $10
million in financial relief to qualifying non-industrial private forest landowners
of Alabama with a one-time payment. Eligible citizens must own timber in the
following counties: Barbour, Bullock, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Escambia,
Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Montgomery, Pike, or Russell. Additional
eligibility requirements must be met for compensation of hurricane or tornado-related
crop loss.
“We’re
pleased to be able to provide this relief to those forest landowners who
suffered losses during Hurricane Michael,” stated State Forester Rick Oates. “It’s
very appropriate that the grant also include assistance for the landowners who
were devastated by the Lee County tornadoes.”
The grant application period will launch
on June 14 and run through August 1. For further information regarding additional
eligibility requirements, please visit the ‘Hurricane Michael Block Grant’ section
of the Alabama Forestry Commission’s website at www.forestry.alabama.gov, or contact the agency at hurricane.michael@forestry.alabama.gov
or by phone at (334) 240-9300, extension 4.