Forestry

Protecting Arkansas’s forests, and those who enjoy them, from wildland fire and natural hazards while promoting rural and urban forest health, stewardship, development, and conservation for all generations of Arkansans

Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program

The Southern Pine Beetle Prevention Program (SPBPP) is designed to offer landowners and loggers an incentive to accomplish thinning in overly dense pine forests. Often these incentives can offset any undesirably low pulpwood prices. Any private landowner with at least 10 acres of dense pine forest (determined according to a pine basal area greater than 120 square feet) is eligible for the program. A single landowner may not receive more than $10,000 in a single application year. First commercial thinnings, non-commercial thinnings, in-woods chipping, and prescribed burning are eligible practices.

As of January 2024, a logger incentive of $3,000 is also available for first commercial thins and in-woods chipping for tracts that are less than 40 acres. Loggers may only receive a maximum of $10,000 per SPBPP grant year.

PracticeIncentive or Cost Share Rate
FCT First Commercial Thinning (Whole Tree)$50 per acre incentive payment
OSC On-Site Chipping$75 per acre incentive payment
NCT Non-Commercial Thinning75% cost share of invoiced expenses (NTE $150/acre)
PBN Prescribed Burn for Hazard Reduction75% cost share of invoiced expenses (NTE $37.50/acre)

The following document must be completed by a registered forester to enroll a landowner:

Application and Project Plan for SPBPP