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Tom Martin's Insights on Forestry in the 21st Century

I have known and respected Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation, for several decades. We have the same philosophy and passion: a commitment to empowering private landowners as the leading phalanx to protect private lands across America.

I have known and respected Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation, for several decades. We have the same philosophy and passion: a commitment to empowering private landowners as the leading phalanx to protect private lands across America. Of course, Tom’s focus and slice of the pie is forest owners. The American Tree Farm System represents the infantry on the battle to promote stewardship more widely among the millions of forest landowners who should be planning for intergenerational transfer.

On average, forest owners as a whole are almost a decade older than the general population. One in five acres of forest land is owned by someone who is at least 75 years of age, so they should be focused on estate planning and long-term stewardship. This is Tom’s important message: Forest health in the United States depends on private landowners and the actions they take to preserve our landscapes for the future.