Federal and State Forestry Assistance Programs

Federal and State Forestry Assistance Programs There are a variety of U.S. Federal forestry assistance programs available to assist people with their forestry and conservation needs. The following forestry assistance programs, some financial and some technical, are major programs available to the forest landowner in the United States. These programs are designed to help a landowner with the cost of tree planting. Most of these programs are cost-share programs that will pay a percentage of the establishment cost of the trees. You should first study the delivery flow for assistance which starts at the local level. You will have to inquire, sign up, and be approved locally in your specific conservation district. It takes some persistence and you must be prepared to work and cooperate with a bureaucratic process that some people would rather not put up with. Find the nearest National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) office for assistance. The Farm Bill authorizes billions of dollars in funding for conservation programs. Forestry is certainly a major part. These conservation programs were created to improve natural resources on Americas private lands. Forest owners have used millions of those dollars for the improvement of their forested properties. Listed are the major programs and sources of forestry assistance. However, you need to be aware that there are other sources for assistance on a state and local level. Your local NRCS office will know these and point you in the right direction. Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP) The EQIP program provides technical assistance and cost-share to eligible landowners for forestry practices, such as site preparation and planting of hardwood and pine trees, fencing to keep livestock out of the forest, forest road stabilization, timber stand improvement (TSI), and invasive species control. Priority is given to projects with multiple management practices to be completed over a number of years. Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) The WHIP program provides technical assistance and cost-share to eligible landowners who install wildlife habitat improvement practices on their land. These practices may include tree and shrub planting, prescribed burning, invasive species control, the creation of forest openings, riparian buffer establishment and fencing livestock from the forest. Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) WRP is a voluntary program that provides technical assistance and financial incentives to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring marginal land from agriculture. Landowners that enter into WRP may be paid an easement payment in exchange for enrolling their land. Program emphasis is on restoring wet cropland to bottomland hardwoods. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) The CRP reduces soil erosion, protects the nations ability to produce food and fiber, reduces sedimentation in streams and lakes, improves water quality, establishes wildlife habitat, and enhances forest and wetland resources. It encourages farmers to convert highly erodible cropland or another environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover. Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) BCAP provides financial assistance to producers or entities that deliver eligible biomass material to designated biomass conversion facilities for use as heat, power, biobased products or biofuels. Initial assistance will be for the Collection, Harvest, Storage, and Transportation (CHST) costs associated with the delivery of eligible materials.

Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighterâ€World War II

Mitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter- World War II Most people hear the word Mitsubishi and think automobiles. But the company was actually established as a shipping firm in 1870 in Osaka Japan, and it quickly diversified. One of its businesses, Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, founded in 1928, would go on to build lethal fighter planes for the  Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. One of those planes was the A6M Zero Fighter. Design Development The design of the A6M Zero began in May 1937, shortly after the introduction of the Mitsubishi A5M fighter. The Imperial Japanese Army had commissioned Mitsubishi and Nakajima both to build the planes, and the two companies  began preliminary design work on a new carrier-based fighter while waiting to receive the final requirements for the aircraft from the army. These were issued in October and were based upon the A5Ms performance in the ongoing  Sino-Japanese  conflicts. The final specifications called for the aircraft to possess two 7.7 mm machine guns, as well as two 20 mm cannon. In addition, each airplane was to have a radio direction finder for navigation and a full radio set. For performance, the Imperial Japanese Navy required that the new design be capable of 310 mph at 13,000 ft. and possess an endurance of two hours at normal power and six to eight hours at cruising speed (with drop tanks). As the aircraft was to be carrier-based, its wingspan was limited to 39 ft. (12m). Stunned by the navys requirements, Nakajima pulled out of the project, believing that such an aircraft could not be designed. At Mitsubishi, the companys chief designer, Jiro Horikoshi, began toying with potential designs. After initial testing, Horikoshi determined that the Imperial Japanese Navys  requirements could be met, but that the aircraft would have to be extremely light. Utilizing a new, top-secret aluminum, T-7178, he created an aircraft that sacrificed protection in favor of weight and speed. As a result, the new design lacked armor to protect the pilot, as well as the self-sealing fuel tanks that were becoming standard on military aircraft. Possessing retractable landing gear and a low-wing monoplane design, the new A6M was one of the most modern fighters in the world when it completed testing.   Specifications Entering service in 1940, the A6M became known as the Zero based on its official designation of Type 0 Carrier Fighter. A quick and nimble aircraft, it was a few inches under 30 feet in length, with a wingspan of 39.5 feet, and a height of 10 feet. Other than its armaments, it held only one crew member, the pilot, who was the sole operator of the  2 Ãâ€" 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 97 machine gun. It was outfitted with two 66-lb. and one 132-lb. combat-style bombs, and two fixed 550-lb. Kamikaze-style bombs. It had a range of 1,929 miles, a maximum speed of 331 mph, and could fly as high as 33,000 feet. Operational History In early 1940, the first A6M2, Model 11 Zeros arrived in China and quickly proved themselves as the best fighter in the conflict. Fitted with a 950 hp Nakajima Sakae 12 engine, the Zero swept Chinese opposition from the skies. With the new engine, the aircraft exceeded its design specifications and a new version with folding wingtips, the A6M2, Model 21, was pushed into production for carrier use. For much of World War II, the Model 21 was the version of the Zero that was encountered by Allied aviators. A superior dogfighter than the early Allied fighters, the Zero was able to out-maneuver its opposition. To combat this, Allied pilots developed specific tactics for dealing with the aircraft. These included the Thach Weave, which required two Allied pilots working in tandem, and the Boom-and-Zoom, which saw Allied pilots fighting on the dive or climb. In both cases, the Allies benefited from the Zeros complete lack of protection, as a single burst of fire was generally enough to down the aircraft. This contrasted with Allied fighters, such as the P-40 Warhawk and F4F Wildcat, which, though less maneuverable, were extremely rugged and difficult to bring down. Nevertheless, the Zero was responsible for destroying at least 1,550 American aircraft between 1941 and 1945. Never substantially updated or replaced, the Zero remained the Imperial Japanese Navys  primary fighter throughout the war. With the arrival of new Allied fighters, such as the F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair, the Zero was quickly eclipsed. Faced with superior opposition and a dwindling supply of trained pilots, the Zero saw its kill ratio drop from 1:1 to over 1:10. During the course of the war, over 11,000 A6M Zeros were produced. While Japan was the only nation to employ the aircraft on a large scale, several captured Zeros were used by the newly-proclaimed Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution (1945-1949).