Land Stewards and Their Helpers

What do 15,000 folks in Hawaii have in common with more than 686,000 in New York?  They are owners of a piece of America’s forest.

Earlier this week I received a copy of the USDA Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry Annual Report – April 2012.  It was accompanied by a much longer Appendix comprised of State and Territorial fact sheets.  Receiving  this in the midst of the now full-blown race for the White House , and all of the sound bites about “too much” or “too little” government, got me to thinking about the men and women who own America’s forests and those who help them tend it.

Who Owns America’s Forests
We are indeed one of the most blessed nations on the planet.  Parts of those blessings arise from the fact that one-third of our expansive land is blanketed with tree cover!  And, not too far down the list of blessings comes in the fact that all 308 million of us as American’s own a part of that forest heritage whether it be held in trust in National Forests, state forests, parks or other public lands. 

The part of this picture that too many of us take for granted is that the largest slice of that “forest pie” is not owned by us individually nor collectively, rather, some 35% of that forestland –some 251 million acres – is held by families and individuals.  And a lot of them … nearly 11 million owners.

In our system of government they clearly “own” the trees and the land.  Yet, there are many public benefits that accrue to us all without our direct engagement either in the form of payment or responsibility.  Those private forests help clean our air, filter and provide our drinking water, and serve as homes to a vast array of wildlife.

Managing a Forest Takes a Village
Harkening back to another line from yet another Presidential campaign, I recall the one that served to once again divide us when Hillary Clinton published her book, “It takes a Village.”  This borrowed line from an African proverb about the impact that all in a community have in helping to raise a child, has similar implications when we think about forests.

Yes, clearly the landowner carries a heavier responsibility and burden than do others (just as do parents).  Yet, few landowners walk that road alone (again, just as do parents).  Most call on the services of a consulting forester to help them develop and implement a management plan to achieve their objectives.  Few landowners – private or corporate – maintain the necessary firefighting equipment to call upon when disaster threatens.  Nor, do many own their own mills to serve as a market for their raw materials.

Indeed, forest ownership and management is a complicated business.  Among the many blessings we have are the well-trained men and women of the primary federal natural resources agency – the USDA Forest Service – and their state-based compatriots at the forestry commissions and state forestry services that have for decades been there when the fires were raging, the bugs attacking, and after the harvest with seedlings to help start that new forest.

In a time of dumbing-down of very complex issues into one-line sound bites, it is important that we all remember and say a word of appreciation to the men and women who steward America’s private forests and those who help them tend it.  I for one am very thankful for the professionals at the federal and state level who answer that calling in concert with the range of private businesses who help make up the forestry village.

Written by: Carlton Owen