What the Field to Forest Cost Share Program Offers on the Minnesota DNR Site

The Field to Forest Cost Share program reimburses landowners up to 75% of the cost of planting seedlings on land that was historically forested but is now open, and adds a $500 per acre incentive payment. Funds are limited, so the Minnesota DNR advises applying early. The program is described on the DNR homepage as part of its current announcements.

Who the program is for

The program targets a specific situation: open land that used to be forest. If you are considering planting tree seedlings on such land, this cost share is designed for that conversion. The DNR's homepage framing — "Planting seedings on historically forested open land?" — signals that eligibility hinges on the land's history rather than on any current use.

What the financial support covers

The two pieces work together: the reimbursement offsets a large share of planting costs, and the per-acre payment provides an additional incentive tied to the acreage enrolled.

How to act on it

The homepage announcement is a prompt rather than a full program guide. Because funds are limited and the DNR explicitly recommends applying early, the practical next step is to locate the program's application details on the DNR site before planning a planting project around the reimbursement. Treat the 75% and $500 figures as the program's advertised terms, and confirm current terms and remaining funding with the DNR when you apply.

Why timing matters

The "funds are limited" note is the key operational detail. A cost share program that pays a percentage of costs plus a fixed per-acre amount can only serve as many acres as its budget allows, so an application submitted after funds are committed would not deliver the advertised support. If you are weighing a seedling planting project on former forest land, applying early is the difference between a funded project and an unfunded one.