Water Conservation 
Committee in cooperation 
with the soil and water 
conservation districts. The 
purposes of this program 
are to reduce erosion, 
improve agricultural water 
quality, and improve forest 
resources. Funding is 
provided by the legislature 
with the cost-share for forestry 
practices set at 60 percent 
for 1985—86 (Alabama 
Agricultural and Conservation 
Development Commission 
1985). 
Controversy still remains 
about whether providing 
cost-shares to landowners 
discourages private 
investment or replaces it 
with taxpayers’ money. 
Virginia’s experience has 
been that the incentives 
programs stimulate owners 
to invest in reforestation and 
release. While dollars from 
incentives programs may 
partially replace private 
dollars, it appears that these 
programs encourage owners 
to increase the acreage 
treated and invest the same 
or more of their own money. 
The major benefit is that 
many owners who would let 
their land go unmanaged 
and make no investment are 
encouraged to put up their 
own money, along with the 
State’s 50-percent share, 
toward the cost of appropriate 
forest management practices. 
The ultimate beneficiary is 
the public because of the 
future contribution to the 
local and State economies 
when the timber is harvested 
and manufactured (Stanley 
pers. Communication, Graff 
pers. Communication). 
Virginia’s Seed Tree Law 
Complementing Virginia's 
incentives program is a seed 
tree law of long standing 
(1940). This law is effectively 
used to encourage the 
regeneration of pine stands 
after harvest. Under the law, 
the landowners must either 
leave pine seed trees or 
provide an alternate 
management plan that 
describes the practices that 
they will undertake to assure 
regeneration. This alternative 
is often site preparation and 
planting, though natural 
regeneration meets the 
requirements of the law if 
sufficient numbers of 
seedlings are established 
after the first full growing 
season. The personnel of 
the Virginia Department of 
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