Section 1536.10  General

The purpose of the Forestry Development Cost-Share Program is to encourage the establishment, management, and sustainable use and benefits of forests.  Definitions located at 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1537 apply to this Part as well.

a)         Definitions.

"Act" means the Illinois Forestry Development Act.

"Department" means the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"Forest Management Plan" or "Plan" means a written forest management planning document required of an entity entering the Program as required under the Act.

"Program" means the Forestry Development Cost-Share Program.

b)         Timber growers participating in this program may also be eligible for federal cost-share programs administered by agencies of the United States, as well as federally-funded cost-share programs administered by the State.

c)         An application for cost-shared practices must be signed and dated by the timber grower or the timber grower's legally authorized agent and submitted to an Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Department) Forester.  The requirements for installation of the practices must be described in the approved Forest Management Plan (Plan) (see 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1537).  Any practice variations or deviations must be submitted in writing and approved by the Department Forester.  The cost-share practice shall not start until the application is approved by the Department Forester.

d)         The total payment for approved cost-share practices shall never exceed the established base cost of the practice.

e)         Timber growers must keep records and receipts of practice implementation costs.

f)         This is a timber grower reimbursement cost-share program. 

1)         Advance payment for individual practices exceeding $2,000 will be authorized by a Department Forester upon request by the individual timber grower when the following criteria have been met:

A)        the practice is identified as a priority practice in this Part;

B)        a Department Forester has field verified the practice was completed as specified in the Forest Management Plan; and

C)        payment is for $2,000 or more.

2)         Advance payment before a practice is completed is not allowed and cost-share payment will not be made to a third party or to vendors.

g)         When federal or other cost-share programs are utilized concurrently with the Illinois Forestry Development Act the combined Act, federal and other reimbursements will not exceed the established base cost of the practice as listed in Sections 1536.25 thru 1536.70.  The base cost represents the cost of implementing the practice.

h)         A practice will not be repeated with Act cost share funds on the same area of land within a 10 year period and must be maintained for a minimum of 10 years after completion, except as allowed under Sections 1536.30, 1536.65, 1536.70 and 1536.77.

i)          Property upon which cost-share practices are installed must be protected from wildfire and grazing unless specifically prescribed in the Plan.

j)          Pesticides used in implementing practices must be federally, State and locally registered and must be applied strictly in accordance with authorized registered uses, directions on the label, and other federal and State requirements.

k)         If a timber grower has paid an Department timber harvest fee as required in the Timber Buyers Licensing Act [225 ILCS 735] within two State fiscal years prior to the approval of a Plan or initiation of an approved practice, timber growers will have their cost-share amount increased not to exceed 100% of their harvest fee.  The combined payment for any and all practice implementation and the harvest fee rebate shall not exceed 100% of the timber grower's actual and reasonable practice implementation costs.  Timber growers, as defined in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 1537.10, and/or landowners who sold timber based upon provisions of the Plan shall have priority for harvest fee rebates. 

l)          The Department will only reimburse for cost-share practices that are prior approved and satisfactorily completed.  All practice components must be completed and approved before payment is authorized, except as provided in subsection (e).

m)        Cost-share practices shall not be authorized for any action that is determined to be harmful to threatened or endangered plant or nonplant species or their habitat.

n)         Cost-share payments shall not be authorized for practices totaling less than one acre, unless specifically approved by the State Forestry Development Act Program Manager.

o)         Cost-share payments will not be authorized for more than a single practice that treats, removes, affects or establishes the same material, stems or growing vegetation or that is prescribed to achieve the same forest management result on the same acre.

p)         The Department Forestry Division will make cost-share practice approvals to timber growers in accordance with the following process:

1)         The total amount of cost-share funding available each State Fiscal Year will be allocated to each forestry district, as notated on the Department's website, based upon the percentage of FDA participants in each forestry district.

2)         Applications for cost-share funds will only be accepted for one month each quarter during the months of January, April, July and October.

3)         Applications will be approved for funding until all available funding has been allocated.

4)         First priority for cost-share funding will be given to applications from timber growers who have paid a Department timber harvest fee as required in the Timber Buyers Licensing Act [225 ILCS 735] within two State fiscal years prior to the approval of a practice, as specified in subsection (k).

5)         Second priority will be given to applications from timber growers applying for identified priority practices and underserved landowners, as determined by the United States Forest Service, defined as either a beginning forest landowner who has not owned or operated private forest land for more than 10 years, or a timber grower owning woodland within rural areas identified in the Illinois IRA Screening Tool located at https://gis.mortonarb.org/portal/apps/View/index.html?appid=07283d48e05c40d1937a5981383303dd.

6)         Non-priority practices will be funded if funds are available in any district after all priority practice applications have been evaluated for that district.

7)         If a timber grower is unable to initiate work on an approved cost-share practice within 6 months after the approval date, the timber grower must contact the Department Forester in writing within 15 days after the expiration date to request a 6-month extension with a valid reason for the extension request.  A maximum of two 6-month extensions will be granted for any approved cost-share practice.  If no extension is requested or approved, the initial approval will be terminated, and the cost-share funds will be re-allocated to another timber grower.

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 10446, effective July 31, 2025)