Family Forest Owner Toolbox Available

The toolbox is a series of 11 fact sheets developed by the Great Lakes Forest Alliance.  The sheets highlight new and emerging opportunities for landowners as there are fact sheets on ecosystem and carbon markets as well as the traditional forests products and non-timber forest products.  There is even a fact sheet on woody biomass for energy.  They were written for the lake states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan but are certainly applicable for any of the Great Lakes states including Pennsylvania.

NEWS:

With support from a grant awarded by the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry, the Great Lakes Forest Alliance (GLFA) developed this series of fact sheets to provide information and resources to family forest owners.

You may own woodlands because they offer you a quiet retreat, opportunities for recreation, supplemental income, or all of the above. Regardless of your reasons, the 21st century has brought new and exciting opportunities for meeting family goals and for making forest ownership a sound, long-term investment.

The forest that brings you so much pride and pleasure also benefits society as a whole. We believe that by working together, private landowners and forest professionals can enhance the personal and financial rewards of family forest ownership while maximizing the benefits of forests to your community.

We developed this toolbox of resources to support landowners who want to enhance forest management and/or get involved with “emerging markets,” such as bioenergy, certified products, and green building. Whether you own woodlands for lifestyle or recreational reasons or for financial gain, tapping new opportunities may be a way for you to maintain your land the way you want and secure its future.

Fact Sheet 1 provides essential background on family forest ownership. Fact Sheet 2 gives an overview of key terms and concepts that is critical for understanding emerging opportunities. Subsequent fact sheets delve into different opportunities in more detail, from government payments and tax incentives to a variety of potential markets. The series concludes with a summary of where landowners can go to connect with others and find additional resources.