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Advancing Social Equity Through Forestry

WestRock partners with The Center for Heirs' Property Preservation to help advance social equity through sustainable forestry

WestRock advancing social equity with Center for Heirs' Property

Sustainably managed forests are critical to industries like ours that depend on a steady supply of quality fiber. That’s one reason why WestRock invests in programs and partnerships that provide resources, education and incentives to enable family landowners to manage their land. More importantly, we invest to help ensure a family’s forestland is a financial asset, not a burden, to be passed along to future generations.

 

We spoke to Lowcountry landowner Jacqueline Fields whose great-great-grandfather acquired land once emancipated after 22 years of slavery. By working with The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation®, Jacqueline has been able to maintain rights to her property and unlock the economic potential so that the land can become a source of income for her family.

 

What is heirs' property?

Heirs’ property is land that has been passed down generation after generation without the benefit of a will, so the land is owned in common by all heirs in the region, regardless of whether they live on the land, pay taxes or perhaps have never set foot on the property. As a result, heirs' property is at high risk for loss because any heir can sell their percentage of ownership to someone that can force the sale of the entire property, often at an unfair price.

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The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation®, based in Charleston, S.C., is advancing social equity through sustainable forestry. The organization assists underserved landowners to take control of their land and utilize it to build generational wealth for their families through equitable land management.

In Jacqueline’s case, the Center connected her with David Bourgeois, a forester who helps landowners determine how to make their property more profitable and work more efficiently. Through the Center, they secured funding to thin her trees, jumpstarting the forest to make it grow faster. Now that it is on a new growth trajectory, Jacqueline will be able to harvest the land much sooner than expected and increase the value of her property over time.

Center for Heir's Property WestRock Center for Heir's Property WestRock
“It means everything to me because it’s a legacy. With it being in the family for one, two, three, four generations and possibly going to a fifth and sixth, it has a different meaning for me than other land that I own. It’s property that I want to stay forever in the family.”
Jacqueline Fields landowner
By helping landowners from historically underserved communities use sustainable forestry to turn their family land into a financial asset, the Center is making a lasting impact on these communities. As we imagine and deliver on the promise of a sustainable future, we're honored to celebrate the Center's work. Through our multi-year partnership, WestRock has committed to ensuring more landowners are able to realize the full potential of their family forestland and drive sustainable forestry. 

Together, we will deliver on the promise of a sustainable future as we Innovate boldly. Package sustainably.™