Tree Farmer - March/April 2011 - (Page 22)

(Grand) Mother ClinT got sideways with each other, she would gently bring us back together in a spirit of forgiveness and respect for each other’s gifts and abilities. One of the most important things that Mom did was connect the grandchildren with each other. Among her 5 children there are 18 grandchildren. During these past seven years, Mom took groups of the grandchildren on different trips together, and managed to take each grandchild on at least one trip with her and some of their cousins. Some she took to Hawaii, some to Washington, D.C., others to Disneyland – depending on their age and interest. Prior to her final illness, we all took a cruise to Alaska together with her. In all of these adventures everyone had a great time and created memories of their grandmother and a love for their cousins that they will carry with them all their lives. At our family meetings we always have a time of reflection and sharing on “Why should we continue to own this property – what about it is important to me?” This is something that we do each time we gather for a family meeting, but for the first time we invited all of the grandchildren to participate in the discussion. While each person shared something different, one of the common themes was that this property, and our partnership, gave us an excuse to continue being a family. Many of the grandchildren shared that they viewed their cousins more as brothers or sisters because of the close relationships they had developed by spending time together with their grandma and out on the property. They were adamant that we, their parents, do everything we could to ensure we passed this legacy intact to them! The grandchildren – now ranging in age from 7 to 27 – also contributed their ideas and interests The Power of a ties to the land by bentz My brothers and sisters and i recently gathered for our first family meeting after our mother, barbara, passed away following a four-year battle with cancer. after our father’s unexpected death from a heart attack in 2002, Mom remained as our family’s Chief emotional officer. Where his death was sudden and shocking, hers was drawn out and exhausting. as we reflected on the seven years we had with her following our father’s death, we honored some very important things she accomplished for our family. Ten years prior to my father’s death, we had begun a family conversation about our woodland. In 1992, Mom and Dad created a family limited partnership and placed our woodland into this partnership. They started gifting ownership of this entity to us five children, and we began having annual family meetings to discuss the operations of the property, but more importantly, to discuss the future of the property and of our family. Dad was the driving force behind these meetings, and after he passed on, Mom played a critical role in getting the leadership of our family enterprise shifted to the next generation. Mom continued to work with me, as the one that both Mom and Dad chose to lead the next generation, to help me earn this place of leadership in our family. She worked behind the scenes keeping my brothers and sisters talking with each other and with me as we made this awkward transition in leadership. She kept reminding us to love each other and remember that we were brothers and sisters as well as business partners. Whenever we The 2002 National Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year, and member of AFF’s board of trustees, Clint Bentz of Scio, Oregon, is a CPA; reach him at cbentz@bcsllc. com or (503) 769-2186. 22 International Year of Forests, 2011 Tree Farmer MARCH/APRIL 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - March/April 2011

Tree Farmer - March/april 2011
Contents
Cover Story
A Farm Bill Progress Report
West Point Tree Farm Profile
Ties to the Land
Land of Enchantment
2011 National Tree Farmer Convention
Wildlife Matters
Sharing Your Experiences

Tree Farmer - March/April 2011