The Average North Carolina Forest Landowner Is 66. What's the Plan for the Next Generation?
Forestry teaches us to think in decades.
A pine plantation established today may not be harvested for 30 to 40 years. A hardwood stand may take even longer to reach its full potential. The decisions we make as landowners often benefit the next generation more than ourselves.
That is why one statistic from NC State Extension stands out to me: the average North Carolina non-industrial private forest landowner is 66 years old.
As a consulting forester, I spend a lot of time walking properties with landowners who have invested years, or even generations, into caring for their woods. They know every road, creek crossing, property line, and corner monument. They have clear goals for wildlife, recreation, timber production, hunting, conservation, or simply preserving a piece of family history.
Yet one of the most important questions often goes unanswered:
What happens to the land when you're no longer the one making decisions?
A Forest Management Plan Isn't a Succession Plan
Many landowners have invested in managing their property. They may have completed a timber harvest, planted seedlings, improved wildlife habitat, established firebreaks, or enrolled in conservation programs.
Those are all important steps.
But managing a forest and planning for its future ownership are two different things.
Without a succession plan, even well-managed properties can face uncertainty. Family members may have different goals. Property boundaries and management objectives may be unclear. In some cases, heirs inherit land they know very little about and are forced to make difficult decisions quickly.
The result can be family conflict, parcelization, or the loss of opportunities that previous generations worked hard to create.
More Than Just a Will
When people hear "estate planning," they often think about writing a will.
A will is important, but succession planning usually involves much more than that. It may include discussions with attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, and natural resource professionals about ownership structures, management goals, tax considerations, and long-term family objectives.
Every family's situation is different. There is no one size fits all solution.
What matters most is starting the conversation before decisions become urgent.
Why Timberland Is Different
Timberland presents unique challenges because forests are long-term investments.
A landowner may spend decades improving a property before realizing the financial benefits of those efforts. Timber harvest schedules, wildlife habitat improvements, prescribed fire programs, road systems, and reforestation plans often extend well beyond a single generation.
The question isn't simply who will inherit the land.
The question is whether the next generation will understand the value of what they are inheriting.
Understanding Stepped-Up Basis
One area that is frequently overlooked is the tax treatment of inherited property.
In many situations, inherited assets receive what is known as a "stepped-up basis." While every family's tax situation is different and professional tax advice should always be sought, this adjustment in basis can have significant implications for future timber and land transactions.
Unfortunately, many families are unaware of these considerations until after ownership changes occur.
This is another reason why conversations with qualified legal, tax, and forestry professionals are valuable before a transfer takes place.
The Most Important Part: Getting the Next Generation Involved
Legal documents matter.
Tax planning matters.
Ownership structures matter.
But in my experience, none of those things are as important as helping the next generation develop a connection to the land itself.
If your children or grandchildren are going to make good decisions about the property someday, they need to understand why it matters today.
Walk the property with them.
Show them the old boundary markers.
Talk about past timber harvests.
Explain why certain areas were planted, thinned, burned, or protected.
Share the history of the land and the goals you have for its future.
Many families assume younger generations are not interested in land ownership. Sometimes that's true. More often, however, they simply have not been invited into the conversation.
People tend to care about what they understand.
Start the Conversation Today
The best succession plans are not created during a crisis.
They are built gradually through conversations, education, and planning over time.
If you own forestland, consider asking yourself a few simple questions:
Who will own this property in 20 years?
Do they understand my goals for the land?
Have I communicated those goals clearly?
Have I spoken with qualified legal and tax professionals about my options?
Does the next generation have a meaningful connection to the property?
Forestry is ultimately about stewardship. We manage forests today with the understanding that someone else will benefit from many of the decisions we make.
The same principle applies to succession planning.
The future of your forest depends not only on the trees you grow, but also on the people who will someday care for them.
Source: NC State Extension, Educational Needs Assessment of North Carolina Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners, which reported an average respondent age of 66 years among surveyed landowners.