Tree Assistance Program
Published on AidPage by
IDILOGIC on Jun 24, 2005
Purpose of this program:
This program provides assistance to tree, bush and vine owners who have trees, bushes or vines lost by a natural disaster. The statute authorizes payments only for eligible owners who actually replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines and who produce annual crops from trees for commercial purposes.
Possible uses and use restrictions...
Eligible owners must execute all required documents, comply with all applicable noxious weed laws, and complete the TAP funded practice within 12 months of application approval. Participants must allow representatives of FSA to visit the site for the purposes of certifying compliance with TAP requirements.
Who is eligible to apply...
To be eligible for TAP payments the owner must: (1) Own the stand on which the claim for benefits is based; (2) Have owned it at the time the natural disaster occurred; (3) Have continuously owned the stand until the TAP application is submitted; (4) Annual gross revenue not to exceed $2.5 million for the preceding tax year; (5) Federal, State, local governments and agencies as well as political subdivisions thereof are not eligible for benefits.
Credentials/Documentation
To be considered an eligible loss: (1) Trees, bushes or vines must have been lost as a result of a natural disaster; (2) The individual stand must have sustained a loss in excess of 15 percent after adjustment for normal mortality; (3) The loss could not have been prevented through reasonable and available measures; (4) The trees, bushes or vines would not normally have been rehabilitated or replanted within the 12-month period following the loss; (5) The damage must be visible and obvious to the County Committee except that if the damage is no longer visible, the County Committee may accept other evidence of the loss as it determines is reasonable. County Committee may require information from an expert in the case of plant disease or insect infestation.
Note:This is a brief description of the credentials or documentation required prior to, or along with, an application for assistance.
About this section:
This section indicates who can apply to the Federal government for assistance and the criteria the potential applicant must satisfy.
For example, individuals may be eligible for research grants, and the criteria to be satisfied may be that they have a professional or scientific degree,
3 years of research experience, and be a citizen of the United States. Universities, medical schools, hospitals, or State and local governments may also be eligible.
Where State governments are eligible, the type of State agency will be indicated (State welfare agency or State agency on aging) and the criteria that they
must satisfy.
Certain federal programs (e.g., the Pell Grant program which provides grants to students) involve intermediate levels of application processing, i.e., applications
are transmitted through colleges or universities that are neither the direct applicant nor the ultimate beneficiary. For these programs,
the criteria that the intermediaries must satisfy are also indicated, along with intermediaries who are not eligible.
How to apply...
Application Procedure:
A complete application for TAP benefits and related supporting documentation must be submitted to the county office prior to the deadline that FSA announces. A complete application includes all of the following: (1) A form provided by FSA; (2) A written estimate of the number of trees, bushes or vines lost or damaged which is prepared by the owner or someone who is a qualified expert, as determined by the County Committee; (3) The number of acres on which the loss was suffered; (4) Sufficient evidence of the loss to allow the County Committee to calculate whether an eligible loss occurred.
Note: Each program will indicate whether applications are to be submitted to the Federal headquarters, regional or local office, or to a State or local government office.
Award Procedure:
The County Committee: (1) Must make recommendations and an eligibility determination based on a complete application on those requests that it wants to refer to a higher approval official; (2) Will verify actual qualifying losses and the number of acres involved by on-site visual inspection of the land and trees, bushes or vines; (3) May request additional information and may consider all relevant information in making its determination including its members' own knowledge about the applicant's normal operations.
Note: Grant payments may be made by a letter of credit, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check.
Awards may be made by the headquarters office directly to the applicant, an agency field office, a regional office,
or by an authorized county office. The assistance may pass through the initial applicant for further distribution by
intermediate level applicants to groups or individuals in the private sector.
Deadlines and process...
Deadlines
To be announced.
Note:
When available, this section indicates the deadlines for applications to the funding agency which will
be stated in terms of the date(s) or between what dates the application should be received.
When not available, applicants should contact the funding agency for deadline information.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
30 days.
Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Note:
This section indicates whether any prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or nongovernmental units
prior to the submission of a formal application to the federal funding agency.
Appeals
None.
Note:
In some cases, there are no provisions for appeal. Where applicable, this section discusses appeal procedures or allowable rework time for resubmission
of applications to be processed by the funding agency. Appeal procedures vary with individual programs and are either listed in this section or
applicants are referred to appeal procedures documented in the relevant Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Renewals
None.
Note:
In some instances, renewal procedures may be the same as for the application procedure, e.g., for projects of a non-continuing nature renewals will be treated as new, competing applications; for projects of an ongoing nature, renewals may be given annually.
Who can benefit...
An individual owner who has trees, bushes or vines lost by a natural disaster.
Beneficiaries
About this section:
This section lists the ultimate beneficiaries of a program, the criteria they must satisfy and who specifically is not eligible. The applicant and beneficiary will generally be the same for programs that provide assistance directly from a Federal agency. However, financial assistance that passes through State or local governments will have different applicants and beneficiaries since the assistance is transmitted to private sector beneficiaries who are not obligated to request or apply for the assistance.
What types of assistance...
Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use
Financial assistance from the Federal government provided directly to beneficiaries who satisfy Federal eligibility requirements with no restrictions being imposed on the recipient as to how the money is spent. Included are payments under retirement, pension, and compensatory programs.
How much financial aid...
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not Applicable.
Note:
This section lists the representative range (smallest to largest) of the amount of financial assistance available. These figures are based upon funds awarded in the past fiscal year and the current fiscal year to date. Also indicated is an approximate average amount of awards which were made in the past and current fiscal years.
Obligations
(Direct Payments) FY 03 $0; FY 04 est $9,700,000; and FY 05 est $0.
Note:
The dollar amounts listed in this section represent obligations for the past fiscal year (PY), estimates for the current fiscal year (CY), and estimates for the budget fiscal year (BY) as reported by the Federal agencies. Obligations for non-financial assistance programs indicate the administrative expenses involved in the operation of a program.
Account Identification
12-4336-0-4-350.
Note:
Note: This 11-digit budget account identification code represents the account which funds a particular program.
This code should be consistent with the code given for the program area as specified in Appendix III of the Budget of the United States Government.
Examples of funded projects...
Not applicable.
About this section
This section indicates the different types of projects which have been funded in the past. Only projects funded under Project Grants or Direct Payments for Specified Use should be listed here. The examples give potential applicants an idea of the types of projects that may be accepted for funding. The agency should list at least five examples of the most recently funded projects.
Program accomplishments...
None. This is a new program.
Criteria for selecting proposals...
All producers meeting eligibility requirements may receive assistance. Applications are non-competitive.
Assistance considerations...
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Payment is made by check or direct deposit after determining applicant eligibility.
Formula and Matching Requirements
Subject to the availability of TAP funds, an approved owner shall be reimbursed in an amount not to exceed 75 percent of the eligible costs for the qualifying loss (that loss over and above the calculated 15 percent mortality). The payment shall be the lesser of the actual costs for the replanting or the amount calculated using rates established by the County Committee (not to exceed the maximum amount the Deputy Administrator establishes). (1) When lost stands are replanted, the types planted may be different than those originally planted if the new types have the same general end use, as the County Committee determines. Payments will be based on the lesser of rates established to plant the types actually lost or the cost to establish the alternative used. (2) If the species of plantings, seedlings or cuttings differs significantly from the species lost, as the County Committee determines, the costs may not be reimbursed. (3) Owners may elect not to replant the entire eligible stand. If so, the County Committee shall calculate payment based on the number of qualifying trees, bushes or vines actually replanted. (4) The cumulative total quantity of acres planted to trees, bushes or vines for which a person may receive assistance shall not exceed 500 acres. (5) The cumulative amount of TAP payments, which any person may receive, shall not exceed $75,000 per program year. (6) If the total of all eligible TAP claims received exceeds the available TAP funds, payments shall be reduced by a uniform national percentage after the imposition of applicable payment limitation provisions.
Note:
A formula may be based on population, per capita income, and other statistical factors. Applicants are informed whether there are any matching requirements to be met when participating in the cost of a project. In general, the matching share represents that portion of the project costs not borne by the Federal government. Attachment F of OMB Circular No. A-102 (Office of Management and Budget) sets forth the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of matching share requirements which may be cash or in-kind contributions made by State and local governments or other agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals to satisfy matching requirements of Federal grants or loans.
Cash contributions represent the grantees' cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee by other public agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals. When authorized by Federal regulation, Federal funds received from other grants may be considered as the grantees' cash contribution.
In-kind contributions represent the value of noncash contributions provided by the grantee, other public agencies and institutions, private organizations or individuals. In-kind contributions may consist of charges for real property and equipment, and value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the grant program. When authorized by Federal legislation, property purchased with Federal funds may be considered as grantees' in-kind contribution.
Maintenance of effort (MOE) is a requirement contained in certain legislation, regulations, or administrative policies stating that a grantee must maintain a specified level of financial effort in a specific area in order to receive Federal grant funds, and that the Federal grant funds may be used only to supplement, not supplant, the level of grantee funds.
Post assistance requirements...
Reports
None.
Note:
This section indicates whether program reports, expenditure reports, cash reports or performance monitoring are required by the Federal funding agency, and specifies at what time intervals (monthly, annually, etc.) this must be accomplished.
Audits
Recipients under this program are subject to audit by the Office of the Regional Inspector General, USDA.
Note:
This section discusses audits required by the Federal agency.
The procedures and requirements for State and local governments and nonprofit entities are set forth in OMB Circular No. A-133.
These requirements pertain to awards made within the respective State's fiscal year - not the Federal fiscal year,
as some State and local governments may use the calendar year or other variation of time span designated as the fiscal year period,
rather than that commonly known as the Federal fiscal year (from October 1st through September 30th).
Records
An owner or any other individual or entity receiving assistance for TAP shall maintain and retain financial books and records which will permit verification of all transactions for at least 3 years, following the end of the calendar year in which assistance was provided.
Note:
This section indicates the record retention requirements and the type of records the Federal agency may require.
Not included are the normally imposed requirements of the General Accounting Office.
For programs falling under the purview of OMB Circular No. A-102, record retention is set forth in Attachment C.
For other programs, record retention is governed by the funding agency's requirements.
Regulations...
Authorization
Section 3602 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, Public Law 108-83.
Note:
This section lists the legal authority upon which a program is based (acts, amendments to acts, Public Law numbers, titles, sections, Statute Codes, citations to the U.S. Code, Executive Orders, Presidential Reorganization Plans, and Memoranda from an agency head).
Regulations, Guidelines, And Literature
Program is announced through news media and in letters to agricultural producers in the county. Regulations published in the Federal Register, 7 CFR Part 783.