The leading advocate for the rights of private forest owners in the United States.

THE

FLIGHT TO

FARMLAND

BY CLAY JENKINS and STEPHANIE BLOYD
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESOURCES, LLC

Should timberland owners seriously consider diversifying their holdings to farmland? Forest Landowner magazine takes a look.

Amid an escalation in demand for farmland, more and more forest landowners are being approached about selling their property to a buyer who intends to harvest the timber and then convert to some type of agricultural crop. While it is unclear whether this is a sustainable, historical cycle or just another "bubble,� farmland values have risen sharply over the past few years as demand has outpaced supply. It is a tempting option for forest landowners to consider, but what are the risks?