Program as part of the 
Agriculture and Consumer 
Protection Act of 1973. The 
success of the Soil Bank 
Program demonstrated that 
financial incentives in the 
form of cost-sharing and 
annual payments are an 
effective way to get trees 
planted. The Agricultural 
Conservation Program is a 
further demonstration, but of 
limited application for 
comparison. The forest 
incentives proposal 
introduced to Congress in 
Senate bill S 3105 in 1973 
received support from the 
Association of Consulting 
Foresters, the National Forest 
Products Association, the 
American Pulpwood 
Association, the American 
Forestry Association, the 
Forest Farmers Association, 
and many others groups. 
The Nixon administration 
was in agreement with its 
objective but opposed the 
bill because it was 
inconsistent with the 
revenue-sharing approach to 
the allocation of Federal 
moneys to States. The 
program passed easily and 
was initially funded at $15 
million—a level that has 
remained relatively constant 
in terms of dollars 
appropriated but unadjusted 
for inflation. 
The Forestry Incentives 
Program has given a major 
boost to tree planting in the 
South. The average annual 
number of acres planted in. 
the South under the program 
from 1980 to 1984 has been 
158,530.4 It is administered 
cooperatively by the State 
Foresters, the Forest Service, 
and the USDA Agricultural 
Stabilization and 
Conservation Service and 
provides direct cost-sharing 
for reforestation and timber 
stand improvement. The 
total amounts available to 
each State are determined 
by a formula, but the 
percentage of costs paid 
and the upper limits on the 
dollar amounts are 
determined by each State to 
fit its needs. 
The development of pine 
seed orchards to produce 
genetically improved seed 
for artificial regeneration of 
stands is another important 
advance. In the mid-1950’s, 
Georgia and Texas initiated 
programs for the selection of 
4 Data provided by USDA Forest 
Service. 
65 
