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Altering wetlands could be a costly fix
Steve Smith
Contributor
Published November 14, 2009
Your desire and commitment to improve your land for conservation and aesthetics is admirable. Clearing woody vegetation, draining wet areas, or filling depressions has the astounding ability to enhance visual appearances, increase productivity, and make it easier to work on your land.
But, be aware that clearing trees and stumps, draining wet areas, or filling depressions to create or improve cropland or pasture could cause the loss of some or all United States Department of Agriculture program benefits. Some wooded areas are wetlands or contain areas of wetlands, and many isolated depressions and low spots meet wetland criteria as well. The 1985 Food Security Act and the Farm Bills that followed prohibit USDA program participants from manipulating wetlands, including filling, clearing trees and stumps, or improving drainage, which would make the production of an agricultural commodity possible or more possible. USDA program benefits include cost-share monies from Farm Bill Programs, disaster payments, price support payments and loans.
If you clear trees and stumps or otherwise have an impact on a wetland, you may have to restore the wetland to its original condition to qualify or regain eligibility for USDA program benefits. This may create significant economic hardships from loss of benefits as well as cost of restoration and mitigation.
`“Wetlands” describe several kinds of land on which water plays a crucial role. Because they are protected by state and federal laws, the focus is on the definition and identification of wetlands. And because the laws and regulations regarding wetlands are just as variable and complex as wetlands themselves, it is in the landowner’s best interest to seek guidance before impacting an area that has the potential to meet wetland criteria.
` Whether it’s a small drain with sparse woody vegetation, an isolated depression, a broad bottomland in a floodplain or any number of system and habitat types, a wetland is defined as an area that is inundated or saturated by ground or surface water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.
Because it can be difficult to picture what this looks like in the field, landowners are encouraged to consult with the USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service prior to any clearing activity. You may find your local USDA Service Center office in the government listings or in the white pages of your phone book under USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, or by visiting http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
Steve R. Smith is Paris district conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
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