Learn about one family’s quest to preserve the forest of their youth through an innovative program that creates new sources of revenue, ensures sustainable forest management and helps address climate change.
Tuuk Family Forest: One Family’s Efforts To Keep Their Legacy Alive in Tennessee
- Biodiversity
- Livelihoods
Days Edge Productions
Rebecca and Roger Tuuk own 3,120 acres of forested land in central Tennessee – land that has been in Rebecca’s family since the 1940’s. Rebecca has been wandering these woods her entire life, and wants to preserve it for future generations. In 2016, the Tuuks were the first private landowners in Tennessee to begin working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) under the Working Woodlands Program, with support and collaboration from World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Thanks to the Tuuks’ innovative leadership and sustainable management, their property is now the most protected private forest in the state.
TNC helped the Tuuks develop an improved forest management plan, obtain Forest Stewardship Council certification for their forest lands and access the voluntary carbon market. Not only will these strategies help preserve the forest for the future, they will also help the family increase the revenue they can generate from their forests. The Tuuks also entered into a conservation easement with TNC, which will make sure their forest will remain forest forever, while also allowing for continued sustainable harvest of wood from their land.
By preserving this forest, the Tuuks are keeping carbon out of the air and storing it in the trees, protecting the biodiversity of the region and maintaining the connective corridors that enable migratory species to thrive.
Under the Working Woodlands Program, Rebecca and Roger Tuuk are not only preserving their family’s legacy for future generations, but also doing their part to make the world a little better for the rest of us.
Links:
Learn more about the Tuuk family’s efforts to address climate change through improved forest management.
Learn more about the Working Woodlands program
Video: WWF Working Woodland video (credit to Day’s Edge Productions / WWF-US).
Did you know: In the US, researchers have found that every $1 million invested in reforestation and sustainable forest management can support nearly 40 jobs.