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<span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Longleaf
pine forests once covered millions of acres throughout the Southeastern United States. Today, only a few thousand acres of this vital habitat remains.</span><br>
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<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">To help sustain, enhance and restore longleaf pine forests, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the
<a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/programs/initiatives/?cid=nrcsdev11_023913">
national Longleaf Pine Initiative</a>, offers financial assistance to landowners for implementation of conservation practices that maintain, improve and restore the longleaf pine ecosystem in east Texas.</span><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">The Longleaf Pine initiative will incorporate both technical and financial assistance to help landowners in Texas improve habitat on agricultural land, nonindustrial
private forest and Tribal land.</span><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">In East Texas</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">, the counties eligible for longleaf restoration
are: Anderson, Angelina, Chambers, Cherokee, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler and Walker.</span><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Approved participants will receive financial assistance for implementing conservation practices including planting longleaf pine, installing firebreaks, conducting prescribed
burning and controlling invasive plants.</span><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Landowners can apply at their local </span><a href="https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/tx/contact/local/?cid=stelprdb1077064"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#005782;background:white;text-underline:none">USDA
Service Center</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><span>.</span></span><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<o:p> </o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Link to article: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/tx/programs/landscape/?cid=stelprdb1246060</span><o:p style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"> </o:p></p>
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