For Immediate Release
July 14, 2010

Washington, D.C.—On Thursday, July 15 the Obama Administration will visit Asheville, North Carolina as part of the Americas’ Great Outdoors Listening Tour. The administration wants to learn more about working land, open space, and landscape conservation. The listening session will be held at Asheville-Buncombe County Technical Institute in Asheville, North Carolina from 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m.

North Carolina’s more than 525,000 family forest owners play a key role in the conservation of America’s Great Outdoors, as well as helping to support the state’s economy and rural jobs through production of forest products. In the Southeast, more than 58 percent of forestland is owned by families and individuals.

Dwight and Judy Batts own a family forest in Wilson County, North Carolina. Their family has owned the property since 1883 but they worry that their family will not have the opportunity, pleasure and responsibility of caring for the land as five generations of their family have done until now.

“We applaud the administration for their efforts to create a conservation agenda that recognizes a broad range of interests and perspectives, a key part of which should be to truly conserve America’s family-owned forests – which make up more than a third of America’s forested great outdoors,” said the Batts, members of the American Tree Farm System®, in comments they submitted to the administration today in advance of the listening session. “We love our land and are committed to managing the forests sustainably and for future generations, however, as private landowners, we face some challenges.”

“Estate and property taxes should be reasonable and realistic, especially when you consider all of the services our forests provide to the general public and the nation such as clean air and water, diverse species of flora and fauna, carbon sequestration in soils and wood, the raw material for hundreds of products and services, and pleasant scenery as well,” said the Batts. The federal estate tax often forces families to sell their land to developers, or harvest their timber unsustainably, to pay taxes.

Libby Jordan of Candor, North Carolina, manages three tracts of land in North Carolina. She, too, is gravely concerned about the effects of the estate tax on the ability of family forest owners to keep their land in the family. “Congress needs to find a fix to the estate tax to remove some of the tax burden of generational transfer,” said Jordan. If enacted, H.R. 5475, The Family Farm Estate Tax Relief Act of 2010, introduced by Rep. Mike Thompson (R-CA), could address this issue.

“A family’s investment of time and money in growing a healthy forest is not recouped for some 40 to 100 years, when mature trees are ready to harvest,” said Dwight Batts. In addition to tax incentives, family forest owners need access to global wood products markets to provide the resources needed to reinvest in their woodlands. “Our Tree Farm is managed as well as any forests in the world and should be allowed to participate in the growing green building markets,” he said. Currently the U.S. Green Building Council, one of the largest certifiers of green buildings, does not recognize the American Tree Farm System certification for their “certified wood credit.” This means that in the state of North Carolina, builders are discouraged from using sustainably managed timber from Tree Farms. “This shuts out North Carolina family forest owners from a vital market for their wood,” said Batts.

Conservation programs administered by the USDA do provide some assistance to family forest owners, although the programs available for forestry are fewer than for other agriculture lands. For example, with assistance from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Libby Jordan was able to begin restoration of longleaf pine on her family property. Considered one of the most species-rich ecosystems in the United States, longleaf pine once covered more than 90 million acres. Now, with only three million acres remaining, it is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.

“CRP helped fund the establishment of longleaf pine on my land, but offers little assistance for maintenance,” said Jordan. From maintaining roads, to controlling invasive species, to applying prescribed fire, proper management is costly and requires dedication. “USDA cost share programs can be a very helpful tool to family forest owners who want to practice sustainable forest management, but some tweaks need to be made,” said Jordan. Dwight Batts agrees, “My family has participated in several of these programs, and the assistance is extremely valuable, we just need to find ways to get it to more landowners in simpler ways.”

Two of Libby Jordan’s tracts are close to the Uhwarrie National Forest, and the largest tract of 534 acres shares a boundary with the national forest. “Many family forest owners across the country are similarly positioned near national parks or forests,” said Jordan. “Our privately held forestland is not “an island unto itself.” What we do on our property, and our ability to continue to manage our land well, impacts the neighboring federal lands, and vice versa. An “all lands” approach, focusing on conservation and management of both public and private forests is essential to conserving America’s Great Outdoors,” said Jordan.

“We share our property with schools, churches, and government agencies to use as a teaching platform about the wonders and contributions of our nation’s forests and believe the administration should do more to support this vital work, too,” noted Dwight and Judy Batts.

 “The Obama Administration is undertaking important efforts to protect America’s forests but there is still much to do to help family forest owners. We encourage the administration to consider a broad range of market-oriented tools, tax incentives, and conservation investments to truly conserve America’s family-owned forests—which make up 35 percent of all forestland in the United States,” said Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation.

“Private woodlands in America are key to protecting America’s landscapes and account for more land than public forests. Providing essential benefits such as clean water, wildlife habitat, carbon storage and recreation to millions of citizens, family forests are fundamental to maintaining America’s conservation ethic and reconnecting people with nature,” said Martin.

The American Forest Foundation is a national, nonprofit conservation organization that helps family woodland owners manage their land for clean water, wildlife habitat, recreation, and job creation. The American Tree Farm System®, a program of the American Forest Foundation, is the oldest and largest private sustainable forestry program in the United States. We are a network of 91,000 landowners managing 24.3 million acres of woodlands with the assistance from 4,679 volunteers and partners.

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