Forest Landowners Support

Landowner
Outreach Toolkit

Most of the forests in the United States are owned privately, with 253 million acres owned by individuals, families, trusts, and estates. These 7.5 million owners own at least acres with the average property size of 69 acres.

As reported by the National Woodland Owners Survey, only 1.3 million of those owners have received management advice, only 800,000 have management plans that help them plan for the long-term health of their forest and 300,000 have received financial assistance with the management of their trees. 

 
Audience-Based Resources
Outreach Strategy Guide
Partner Directory
Events/Webinars
About Us

Millions of landowners don’t have professional support to address the concerns they have for their land, including keeping land intact, addressing safety concerns, insects, and diseases. And we all depend on these lands to:  

  • Protect the quality of our drinking water. 
  • Provide habitat for wildlife. 
  • Provide renewable wood products for our use. 
  • Support jobs in forest products, recreation, and related industries. 
  • Filter the air, generate oxygen, and help alleviate pollution. 
  • Protect land and property from flooding by reducing stormwater.  

To maintain these public benefits, the forestry community needs to reach beyond the 1.3 million landowners who are already engaged to support landowners who are through the traditional networks and their workshops, field days and events.

To protect these 253 million acres from the threats of fragmentation, parcelization and taxation that can lead to poor forest management or conversion from trees to development, the forestry community needs to include new outreach strategies, work with new partners and reach more landowners. 

 

 

Given that the following categories cover many different landowners, we have identified three landowner groups that could cross many of the included definitions while also being unique to themselves. The samples, examples, and background information provided throughout this toolkit will support you to meet your landscape goals by showing you how you can open doors across and build trust with landowner groups who are potentially new to you.  

Below, you will find what we call working definitions of African American or Black, Appalachian, and Hispanic landowner groups. We acknowledge that these definitions are imperfect, that these landowner groups are not monolithic, and that any outreach or programming effort should be tailored to the specific needs of the community in which you hope to work. However, we aim to give you a starting place which you can use to begin a respectful relationship and an outline to which you can add the unique nuances of the community you are engaging with.  

Official and practical landowner definitions provide a common basis for the Toolkit and offer a framework for recognizing landowner groups as unique without resorting to stereotypes. 

For the purposes of the USDA Forest Service IRA Forest Landowner Support Program, landowners are individuals or entities who own or manage nonindustrial private forest land and belong to one or more of the following groups that have historically faced barriers to accessing resources, services, and participation in conservation programs and emerging markets.  

Beginning Forest Landowners: 

Individuals or entities who have owned and operated non-industrial private forest land for no more than 10 consecutive years.
This includes those who: 

  • Recently inherited forest land, 
  • Recently purchased forest land, or 
  • Obtained a new farm/tract number from FSA within the past 10 years. 

Note: All owners must individually qualify as being “beginning forest landowners.” 

Landowners residing in or owning land in areas with a poverty rate of 20% or more, as identified by USDA’s Economic Research Service  

Poverty Area Measures

Tribal governments, Tribal members, and Tribal communities of Federally Recognized Tribes.

Landowners with: 

  • Low forest product sales (below USDA-defined indexed values) for each of the previous two years, and
  • Household income at or below the federal poverty level for a family of four, or below 50% of the county median household income for the past two years. 

 

Individuals who: 

  • Have served in the U.S. Armed Forces (including Reserves), and 
  • Either obtained veteran status or acquired forest land within the past 10 years. 

 

African American refers to individuals, families, and communities connected by heritage, language, culture, and ancestry to Americans of African descent who are generally the descendants of enslaved people. Black can include African Americans but can also include a multitude of other lack that do not identify as African American and represent a multiracial demographic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “over half of those who reported their race as Black or African American identified as African American, Jamaican or Haitian.” In addition, “in the 2020 Census, 46,936,733 respondents identified as Black or African American alone or in combination, [which constituted] the third largest race group.”* 

 

Encompasses not only American-born African Americans but also a diverse group of self-identifying American black comprised of national or ethnic groups living in America identifying wholly or partially as Jamaicans, Nigerians, Haitians, those originating on the African continent or others like African Britons, African Canadians, or African Brazilians, to name a few. Additionally, the American Indigenous peoples and those who identify wholly or in part as Black-Indigenous also come into play.  

 

Black and/or African American landowners live throughout the United States.  

 

Can include various traditions for food, dress, music, religions, and social norms depending on age, gender, education, citizenship, and geographic origin and current location.  

 

Most African Americans will primarily be English speakers, however some may be multilingual and may speak French, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian, Creole, or other African-based languages such as Swahili or Yoruba, with English as their primary or secondary language. 

 

There may be a difference in the way generations look at the land. Older generations, or generations who live on the land, may have more of a personal connection to the land while younger generations, or those who are remote, may be disconnected or have a very transactional approach to the land. While these are generalities, they can be important considerations when discussing the land. 

*Coritz, Ali; Ricardo Henrique Lowe, Jr.; and Jessica E. Peña. 2023. “Over Half of Those Who Reported Their Race as Black or African American Identified as African American, Jamaican or Haitian.” Census.Gov. Accessed August 26, 2025. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/10/2020-census-dhc-a-black-population.html.  

 

Appalachian refers to individuals, families, and communities connected by geography, heritage, culture, or ancestry to the Appalachian region, which is a mountainous area stretching from southern New York to northern Mississippi, spanning parts of 13 U.S. states. The term reflects a wide range of identities and lived experiences shaped by Indigenous, European (particularly Scots-Irish, English, and German), African American, and immigrant roots, as well as distinct subregional cultures like Central, Southern, and Northern Appalachia. 

Many Appalachian families trace ancestry to 18th-century Borderlander immigrants from the British Isles, whose values of independence, self-reliance, and localism continue to influence regional identity. But Appalachian identity is not defined by a single lineage or experience—it continues to evolve through the presence and contributions of Black Appalachians, Indigenous peoples, and immigrant communities. 

Being Appalachian does not represent a single race, culture, or worldview. It includes both long-settled and newer residents, rural and urban populations, and those deeply rooted in their culture as well as those actively exploring or reclaiming it. 

Key Dimensions This Definition Highlights: 

  • Multiracial Multi-ethnic: Encompasses Black Appalachians, Indigenous peoples (e.g., Cherokee, Shawnee), Melungeon , and individuals of mixed or immigrant heritage. 
  • Geographically Layered: Spans a diverse terrain across 13 states, with distinct subregional identities like Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, Western North Carolina, and the Alabama highlands. 
  • Culturally Rooted: Encompasses unique music (bluegrass, old-time, gospel), storytelling traditions, dialects, foodways (e.g., foraging, preserving, cornbread cultures), spiritual practices, and strong ties to land and labor history. 
  • Historically Distinct: Influenced by the ancestral traditions of the Scots-Irish Borderlanders as described in American Nations, with a historical emphasis on individual liberty, distrust of hierarchy, and kin-based community resilience. 
  • Linguistically Diverse: Includes Appalachian English dialects, African American English, Cherokee (Tsalagi), Spanish, and other immigrant or heritage languages. 
  • Generationally Varied: From multigenerational families with deep ties to specific hollers or counties, to returning Appalachian youth and newer residents reshaping what it means to belong.   

 

Hispanic refers to individuals, families, and communities connected by heritage, language, culture, or ancestry to Spanish-speaking countries, primarily in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. However, the term encompasses a wide variety of identities, experiences, and histories shaped by Indigenous, African, European, and Asian roots; diverse national origins (e.g., Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Colombian, Cuban, and others); as well as regional and generational variations within the United States and beyond. 

Being Hispanic does not represent a single race, culture, or worldview. It includes both urban and rural populations, recent immigrants and multigenerational citizens, Spanish-dominant and English-dominant speakers, as well as individuals with a strong sense of cultural identity and those who are still exploring or redefining it. 

Key Dimensions This Definition Highlights: 

  • Multiracial: Encompasses Afro-Latinos, Indigenous peoples, and individuals of mixed heritage. 
  • Geographically Diverse: Covers numerous countries and U.S. territories. 
  • Culturally Complex: Includes various food traditions, religions, dialects, and values. 
  • Linguistically Varied: Spanish, Spanglish, English, Portuguese, Indigenous languages. 
  • Generationally Nuanced: From first-generation immigrants to sixth-generation U.S. citizens.