PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island officials are seeking applicants for a program that protects private forestland from development.
The state Department of Environmental Management said Tuesday it is accepting applications for the Forest Legacy program, which protects sensitive forestlands through the purchase of easements that require they remain in a natural state and are not subdivided.
The privately owned parcels must be larger than 25 acres and fall within designated program boundaries.
Officials say the most common threats to the land are from development or fragmentation of ownership of large parcels into smaller ones.
Twenty-two properties and nearly 3,600 acres in Rhode Island have been preserved with $8.1 million in Forest Legacy grants from the U.S. Forest Service.
The federal program operates in partnership with states. The deadline to apply is Sept. 27.