{"id":29397,"date":"2025-10-30T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=29397"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:35:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T17:35:13","slug":"enrollment-period-for-marylands-2025-conservation-buffer-initiative-begins-november-1st","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2025\/10\/30\/enrollment-period-for-marylands-2025-conservation-buffer-initiative-begins-november-1st\/","title":{"rendered":"Enrollment Period for Maryland\u2019s 2025 Conservation Buffer Initiative Begins November 1st"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29398\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2025\/10\/30\/enrollment-period-for-marylands-2025-conservation-buffer-initiative-begins-november-1st\/attachment\/conservation-buffer-graphic-8\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png?fit=940%2C788&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"940,788\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Conservation Buffer Graphic (8)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png?fit=300%2C251&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png?fit=760%2C637&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-29398\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png?resize=300%2C251\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png?resize=300%2C251&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png?resize=768%2C644&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Conservation-Buffer-Graphic-8.png?w=940&amp;ssl=1 940w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 14pt\">Farmers Who Plant Forest Buffers Qualify for a $1,000\/Acre Bonus Payment for Trees<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 30, 2025)<\/strong> \u2013 The <strong>Maryland Department of Agriculture <\/strong>is excited to announce that the 2025-2026 enrollment period for its popular <strong>Conservation Buffer Initiative<\/strong> will run from <strong>November 1st, 2025 through April 30, 2026<\/strong>. To help Maryland meet its ambitious tree planting goals, qualifying farmers who plant forest buffers through this program will receive a one-time $1,000\/acre signing bonus for trees along with the program\u2019s standard incentive payment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">\u201cMaryland\u2019s Tree Solutions Now Act challenges Marylanders to plant 5 million native trees by 2031 to provide climate, environmental, and human health benefits,\u201d said <strong>Maryland Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks<\/strong>. \u201cI encourage farmers with marginal land next to streams or floodplains to plant trees to transform these areas into a valuable asset for both your farms and local water quality.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Entering its sixth year, Maryland&#8217;s Conservation Buffer Initiative provides farmers with attractive incentive payments to plant buffers next to streams to improve water quality and support the state\u2019s climate goals. Three types of buffers are eligible for funding and free technical assistance from local soil conservation districts under the program: forest buffers planted next to waterways, grass buffers planted next to waterways or field ditches, and watercourse access control areas adjacent to pastures. Program highlights include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Payment rates range from $500 per acre for existing grass buffers to a maximum of $4,500 per acre to install a riparian forest buffer with pasture fencing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Mowing and hay harvesting are allowed for on-farm use; nutrient applications are not.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Farmers receive 75% of the project cost upfront and the remaining 25% after verification of planting for new or improved buffers and 100% of the eligible payment for existing buffers that have been field-verified.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">An extra one-time tree bonus payment of $1,000\/acre for enrolled forest buffers is offered.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Annual maintenance payments are available for forest buffers during the first five years once planting is well-established.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Contracts are for 5 or 10 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Soil conservation districts can provide free technical assistance to get your buffer installed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis based on availability of funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">All work must be completed within one year of the Agreement&#8217;s signing date.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\">Farmers who want to install new buffers on land adjacent to waterways or improve existing buffers are encouraged to apply for this program. Applications and required forms are available on the <a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/resource_conservation\/Pages\/conservation-buffer-initiative.aspx\">website<\/a> and at local soil conservation districts. Questions? Conservation experts at your <a href=\"https:\/\/mda.maryland.gov\/resource_conservation\/Pages\/technical_assistance.aspx\">local soil conservation district<\/a> office are standing by to help you with your application.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size: 12pt\"># # #<br \/>\nFollow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Facebook <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MdAgDept\">@MdAgDept<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Farmers Who Plant Forest Buffers Qualify for a $1,000\/Acre Bonus Payment for Trees ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 30, 2025) \u2013 The Maryland Department of Agriculture is excited to announce that the 2025-2026 enrollment period for its popular Conservation Buffer Initiative will run from November 1st, 2025 through April 30, 2026. To help Maryland meet its ambitious<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2025\/10\/30\/enrollment-period-for-marylands-2025-conservation-buffer-initiative-begins-november-1st\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":222,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29397"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29399,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29397\/revisions\/29399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}