Sharing Your Plan With Your Family

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The Erickson family from Wisconsin has passed down the love of their woods for three generations and going strong.

STIHL Photo Contest winning photo by Wallace Erickson

For many woodland owners, planning for the future of the land also means planning for the future of the family.

If your family members will be the stewards of your land after you’re gone, they will need to know your plan for its care. And you may wish to know their plans too. Your heirs and other family members may have their own hopes and visions for your woods, and these may shape your planning to address their needs as well.

Discussing your eventual death can be hard, and family “baggage” can make it harder still. But failing to gain the family’s buy-in now can foster greater conflicts later on. And with good strategies for holding family meetings and encouraging healthy communication, the estate planning process can even help bring families closer together.

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