Consider Taking Your Ideas for Future to the Next Level

Maine Woodland Owners is committed to helping small woodland owners develop succession plans so they can know their life’s work will be passed to someone who will continue their stewardship efforts. Here’s another topic to stimulate landowner efforts to develop and improve their plans.

I have come to realize that there are two levels of succession planning for landowners to consider. The first level is simpler. It deals with the decisions of deciding who you will transfer your woodlands to as its next steward or stewards once you can no longer manage them. Perhaps you will not want to have any input on the future uses and management of your lands. Or, perhaps you will want to decide who the land will be transferred to, how you want the land managed, and what activities you want or don’t want to allow.

The second level of succession planning is more involved and longer term. This level deals not only with the next generation of stewardship, but also with possible generations beyond the next one. By using restrictive easements you can limit what is done with the land in the future. Typically, this level of planning takes more work because the resultant structure and allowed uses will exist for a long time, or possibly even forever. To get it right you will need to get more advice and spend more time anticipating how you want the plan to work.

Whichever level you decide to use for your succession planning of your land is up to you. The most important step is that you start your process now. It will take from 6 months to three years, or even more. You will want to get good, professional advice, and you want to talk to your family many times to be sure you will have a plan that works for you and them.

– Rich Merk