Family forestland is most at risk of parceling and fragmentation, and possibly passing out of forest use or even family hands, at the time of intergenerational transfer. Respondents to a 2018 Benefits and Barriers Analysis in Southside (Virginia) overwhelmingly expressed a desire to keep their family woodlands intact, in forest, and in family ownership; yet 79% of them had not developed a succession plan. The full report is available in additional resources below.
Virginia’s Generation NEXT program – a collaboration between Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Department of Forestry – is an outreach program specifically designed to help family forestland owners make informed and intentional decisions regarding passing their land forward to the next generation. Generation NEXT workshops provide landowners with necessary tools and resources as they begin planning for intergeneration land transfers.
The comprehensive publication Legacy Planning: A Guide for Virginia Landowners was published in 2020 as an invaluable supplementary resource to the workshops provided by the Generation NEXT program. The guide provides a step-by-step overview for planning land transfers and features landowner stories as case studies. The full report is available in additional resources below.
Additional Resources
| Image | Title | ID | Description | Content Type | View | hf:tax:document-category | hf:tax:Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2013-04 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, such as Forest Legacy Program, DOF conservation easements, Virginia Grown program and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2013-12 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, such as Forest Legacy Program, DOF conservation easements, Virginia Grown program and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2014-10 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, such as Forest Legacy Program, DOF conservation easements, Virginia Grown program and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2021-11 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, DOF conservation easements, Generation Next planning, and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Legacy Planning Stories | Stories about how landowners “like me” are ensuring the future of their land. | Publication | View | forest | publication | |
 | Legacy Planning… A Guide for Virginia Landowners | CNRE-121 | A comprehensive guide to successful legacy planning for your forestland. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Woodland Owner Legacy Planning Benefits and Barriers | Summary report of research about the benefits and barriers for landowners in keeping their forestland in tact. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
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