What is Community Forestry?

Q & A
with the Fund's Mikki Sager

Mikki Sager is a Vice
President working in the
the North Carolina office.

What is community forestry—and why does it matter?

Nationwide, many private forest owners are selling off their lands. We’re working to save these forests before they get developed or converted. One way we’re doing that is to empower rural communities to purchase and manage their own local forests.

Why would a community manage a forest?

There are many good reasons—to sustain forest jobs, provide a haven for wildlife, and protect special places for future generations, to name a few. In Hoke County, N.C., we’re helping to establish the Southeast’s first community-owned forest, to benefit both area residents and red-cockaded woodpeckers, with sustainable pine straw harvests, new recreational trails and enhanced habitat.

Can my community do this?

Find out! We’re leading efforts to establish the National Community Forestry Trust – a national support system for communities that want to buy and manage working forests. Funded by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and the Ford Foundation, our work is early but promising. To find out more about the Fund's forestry programs, click here.