October 4, 2022 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service recently partnered with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and mano-Y-ola to complete a demographic study of Hispanic family forest landowners across the United States, including Puerto Rico.
“The Hispanic population is one of the largest and fastest growing in the United States, yet very little is known about their relationship to land ownership,” said Nolo Martinez, co-president of man-Y-ola.
Mano-Y-ola, a North Carolina-based consulting firm that focuses on minority and immigrant farmer communities, examined forest landowner demographic trends and the Hispanic presence in North America.
The project, which began in 2020, aims to build forest-rich communities among Hispanic forest landowners. This study is the first step in efforts to determine which states have the best opportunity to build support networks, offer resources and create sustainable management practices. Calif., Colo., Fla., N.M., Okla., Ore., Texas and Wash. were identified in the study. This project “is just the beginning of HFLO Hub’s work and will provide the best opportunity to build and renew existing leadership, wealth and sustainable management practices among Hispanic forest landowners and their communities across the U.S.,” said Martinez.
Family forests make up more forestland than any other ownership group in the country. Of all forest land in the contiguous United States, roughly 38 percent is family owned, according to the Congressional Research Service. A 2019 National Woodland Owners Survey estimated that 209,000 minority owners own 5.1 percent of the family forestland in the nation, or about 10.5 million acres.
“We are happy to have a part in this work because the Forest Service supports landowners to keep forests healthy, diverse and productive for generations to come,” said Southern Regional Forester Ken Arney. “Land is culturally significant to many individuals. This multi-phase project will help the Forest Service improve rural development practices and partnerships with Hispanic forest landowners.”
Having a better understanding of minority family forest owners on a national level will provide the basic knowledge needed to design and implement federal and state programs to support this segment of the population. The information could create future opportunities to organize educational and network efforts to advance forest health, build forest-rich communities, and provide valuable insights in land management and retention opportunities among minority forest landowners.
This project was inspired by similar work by the Sustainable Forest Land Retention Network, which examined African American landowners to reveal the extent of forest landownership and the unique threats confronting their lands, said Alicia Cramer, senior vice president with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.
Like the Sustainable Forest Land Retention Network, the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities seeks to understand the current demographic landscape, sustainability, inclusion, and economic mobility level amongst the Hispanic forestland-owning population, said Cramer. The next phase of this work will directly engage with landowners and families in the identified states to provide leadership and best practices to support the training of Hispanic forest landowners.
Findings also will serve as a tool to help make funding and assistance recommendations in support of the services most needed by minority landowners to help promote systemic, transformative and sustainable changes that will advance forest health across the nation. This work is vital to the delivery of Cooperative Forestry Programs across the country.
The study is available here.
