18 VIRGINIA FORESTS Generation NEXT Update Helping Forest Landowners Prepare for the Future of Their Woodland Legacy By Karen Snape Generation NEXT helps landowners plan for the future of their woodlands with tools and resources for legacy planning. Fifteen years ago, Mike Santucci, Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF), and Adam Downing, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), recognized the need to reach Virginia’s woodland owners with a palatable approach to legacy planning that resulted in the creation of the Generation NEXT program. Legacy planning means working out the legal and financial estate plan to pass on your woodland and also working with your heirs to pass on knowledge and a love of the land. Generation NEXT was designed as a resource for landowners that would allow them to begin the process of legacy planning and help determine the future of their woodland after death. Two-thirds of Virginia’s forests are owned by individuals and families, and during a time of generational transition, that land is most at risk of being subdivided and converted out of forest. This makes legacy planning an important topic for all Virginians who care about our forests. Today, DOF and VCE, along with many other collaborators, continue to meet this educational need through
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzc3ODM=