ties to the land
Passing the Torch
By
Bentz
CLiNT
Creating and maintaining a sustainable family woodland requires that we inspire and train the next generation to become good stewards. (Photo: Maica)
Creating a sustainable woodland is a multigenerational task. We simply do not live long enough to do it on our own! In most of the country, it takes two to six generations of people (50 to 150 years) to care for a tree from planting to harvest. Every investment we make on our woodland is for the benefit of those who follow us. Any revenue we receive from our woodland is the result of the work of someone who preceded us. For most of us, these properties are much more than financial assets in our portfolios. They are priceless heirlooms and we feel a deep responsibility to care for these properties and to hand them off to our successors in better shape than we found them.
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We have friends in Europe whose families have owned their land for more than 1,000 years. Their management plan goes 400 years into the future. They have been successful because each succeeding generation has dedicated themselves to this task of caring for their property and maintaining their family’s heritage. I have clients here in the United States who are in their sixth generation of caring for their land. I 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.
Tree Farmer
SUMMER 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tree Farmer - Summer 2012