Fight Cogongrass at No Cost to Landowners

 Alabama Forestry Commission News Release; 1 Feb 2024; Contact elishia.ballentine@forestry.alabama.gov

Fight
Cogongrass at No Cost to Landowners

For
the third year, financial relief will be available soon to assist Alabama landowners
adversely affected by the non-native, invasive noxious weed, cogongrass. The
application period for the Cogongrass Mitigation Program will launch on
February 20, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. Central Time, and the portal will remain open
until March 29 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time or until the threshold of 150
applications is reached. Eligibility for the funding requires that applicants
be private, non-industrial landowners. Property with cogongrass
infestations must be located
in any of the 67 counties of Alabama, although the landowner is not required to
reside on the property or within the state. There is no minimum or maximum
acreage ownership requirement to enroll. It is a cost-free program.

Administered
by the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC), the Cogongrass Mitigation Program is
made possible through a grant from the USDA Animal & Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection & Quarantine (PPQ). The goals
of this program are to reduce the number of infested acres, eliminate the damaging
effects of cogongrass on existing ecosystems, and improve the productivity of
sites impacted by the weed. Additional objectives include slowing the spread of
current establishments of cogongrass and preventing introductions into new
areas of the state.

To
apply for this funding or for further information regarding additional
eligibility requirements, please visit the Cogongrass Mitigation Program section
of the Alabama Forestry Commission’s website at forestry.alabama.gov/Pages/Management/Cogongrass.aspx. You may also email the AFC Cogongrass Coordinator at owen.andrews@forestry.alabama.gov
or contact your local AFC office.

The mission of the Alabama
Forestry Commission is to protect and sustain Alabama’s forest resources using
professionally applied stewardship principles and education, ensuring that the
state’s forests contribute to abundant timber and wildlife, clean air and
water, and a healthy economy. For more information about the Alabama
Forestry Commission, visit the AFC website at forestry.alabama.gov

                                            Photo Credit – invasive.org; Nancy Loewenstein