Legacy

My mom is the reason I'm connected to our forestland. I'm shy to write about my land connection, which manifests as creative inspiration, much less talk about it, because my mom passed away over two years ago. Now the reasons for loving our stewardship forestland are so deep, so nuanced, and so filled with grief that I fear I might fall apart were I to explain it all. Simply put: all reasons lead back to my mom.

It’s likely you have children, perhaps grandchildren, and it’s probable that you own forest land too. If you wish your offspring to have some attachment to that land, if you expect them to care for it as you do when you turn it over to them, begin now!

Memory of Trees by Galya Marty is the story of a daughter growing up on a dairy farm in east central Minnesota. The trees around the farm made a lasting impact on the author and are an important theme throughout the book.

A group of land parcels in Sullivan County, New York, known as Mongaup Sanctuary, is protected with a conservation easement with Delaware Highlands Conservancy. The 100 acres include a wetland with a creek running through it, open fields once used for farming, and woodland.

Shary Skoloff, a landowner with property on the Pennsylvania and New York border, recalls how she and her husband found a quiet piece of land, worked hard to nurture it back to a working farm and ultimately are leaving a legacy by sharing their connection to the land with the next generation.

I am so grateful during this season of blessings that my mom took the time over many years to speak with Dad and me about her deep love of our family forestland, her concerns about the forest, her desires for habitat renewal and stewardship, and her vision and goals. I am so grateful she and Dad planned for Mom’s passage by creating a trust, consulting a lawyer, creating a solid will, and communicating directly with me.