Many landowners in rural parts of the southeastern U.S. have farmed on their land for decades.
But as they get older and worry about their family’s future, some feel a financial need to sell some of their land – potentially to someone who will develop it.
Now the American Forest Foundation is giving some farmers an alternative – growing trees.
Tomcho: “They’re used to tending the land, and trees can be considered a crop.”
Aimee Tomcho is with the foundation’s Field to Forest program.
It pays landowners in Georgia to convert at least 40 acres to forest planted with loblolly pine, a tree native to the Southeast. As these trees grow, they absorb planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Landowners commit to growing trees for at least 30 years. They’re allowed to thin a limited amount, which can provide additional revenue if the wood is sold. If they harvest more, the trees must be replanted.
Tomcho says the program helps protect the climate and preserve rural America.
Tomcho: “If you ask these landowners what their goal is, it really centers around keeping that land open … continuing their legacy as farmers and foresters.”
Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
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