Building generational legacies through forestry and conservation.
A world where African American landowners are empowered to protect, control and enhance their land assets through forestry, agriculture, and conservation – all while building a generational legacy of life on the land.
The Sustainable Forestry & African American Land Retention (SFLR) Network exists to create a sustainable system of support for African American land and forest owners that significantly increases the value of African American-owned forests through sustainable forestry practices, land retention services, technical assistance, and more.
We work collaboratively across our eight network sites to convene landowners and forestry leaders, to raise funds to support landowner services on the ground, to train emerging conservation leaders, to amplify African American land stories, and to advocate for equitable land policies.
The Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention (SFLR) Network was launched in 2012 by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Forest Service, two agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
These dedicated, community-based organizations work collaboratively to support African American landowners through offering sustainable forestry management, providing hands-on technical assistance, raising awareness of land stewardship challenges and opportunities, educating landowners, resolving heirs property and land retention issues, teaching landowners about emerging forestry markets and more.
As the SFLR Network, we work across the region to support and amplify the impact of our Network sites while facilitating meaningful, aligned partnerships to truly and effectively deliver positive outcomes for the landowners and forests we serve.
Explore our resources to learn more about the SFLR Network and our collaborative work on issues like heirs’ property, sustainable forestry, climate change, and rural economic sustainability in the U.S. South.
To create a sustainable system of support for African American forest owners that significantly increases the value of African American owned forests, land retention, and asset development.
We are ready to journey alongside African American forest owners building better lives for themselves and their communities. If you want to find out more, get involved!
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The “Roots to Resilience: Empowering Land Legacies” campaign is the cornerstone of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Network’s (SFLR) new direction.
