ABSTRACT
Family-owned forests are those owned by individuals, families, trusts and estates. They make up the largest single category of forest ownership nationwide and are defined by their variety and diversity. Although relatively few family forest owners make decisions on strict criteria of economic optimization, they may still find their management options influenced by tax policies and other economic pressures. The changing nature of family forest owners leads to issues like the loss of forestland to parcelization and development, and various policies have been developed to address these issues. In addition to examining these dimensions of family forest governance, this chapter takes a look at heir property, especially common among African-American forest owners, and at the growing proportion of women forest owners.
