Forest owners seeking strategies to overcome the challenges of estate planning and heirs’ property have the opportunity to gain insights from experts at a free webinar that the Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project will convene in early March.

The SFLRP Estate Planning webinar will be held from 6-8 p.m. March 3. 

The speakers are:

Mavis Gragg, the Durham-based director of the Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention program for the American Forest Foundation

Pamela Harrigan-Young, an estate planning attorney in Raleigh       

Will Dudenhausen, training director for the Dispute Settlement Center in Carrboro

During the webinar, landowners will learn about steps they can take to establish an estate plan that fits their goals. 

This session will include a discussion on heirs’ property, the probate process, ways to engage family members to discuss estate planning and heirs’ property resolutions, as well as other information that can help landowners ensure their forestland will remain within the family for multiple generations.

“Typically, the biggest issue facing the families we assist is land ownership rights,” SFLRP Director Alton Perry said. “Land that has been passed down without a will becomes heirs’ property and, in many cases, has multiple owners with different interests. This makes it very difficult for families to retain and make use of their forestland.”

The SFLRP was created in 2013 and is sponsored in part by Roanoke Electric Cooperative as part of the cooperative’s mission to enhance the quality of life in the region. 

Since its inception, the SFLRP has assisted more than 250 landowners owning approximately 20,000 acres, including more than 50 landowners who have created estate/succession plans.

Registration can be found at this link.

North Carolina State Extension Forestry is supporting the webinar logistically. Forest landowners do not have to live in the region to participate. Phone charges and/or data rates may apply if participating via phone or over a mobile network.