State, organizations work with landowners to plan for the future of their forests

By BRIAN BIENKOWSKI
It’s not easy to talk about your own death, but for landowners it’s a conversation that could save both vulnerable wildlife and a family legacy. Ties to the Land is a program developed by Oregon State University that helps people plan the passing of a family forest to the next generation. Michigan officials are adopting it to broach an uncomfortable topic. “People don’t like to talk about their demise,” said Russell Kidd, forestry educator with the Michigan State University Extension program. “But a lot of land transfer is going to happen one way or another and people need to plan for that.”
Kidd has worked with the Family Forest Succession in Michigan project, which is based on the Ties to the Land program.