The Forest Landowners Podcast

In this episode, Michelle Cain sits down with Dr. Adam Maggard of Auburn University to unpack the latest Costand Trends of Southern Forestry Practices survey. From site prep to planting costs, we break down what’s rising, what’s staying steady, and how private forest landowners can use this benchmark data to budget, plan, and manage more effectively.This survey is funded through a grant from the USFS and Forest Landowners Foundation funds. Learn more at: Cost and Trends of Southern Forestry Practices – Forest Landowners 

The Forest Landowners Foundation is the strategic partner of the Forest Landowners Association and a 501C3. Learn four reasons why giving to the Foundation supports the work of private forest landowners throughout the U.S. Learn more at supportflf.org.

When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated over 300,000 acres as “critical habitat” for the black pine snake—with limited scientific evidence—private landowners pushed back. In this episode, host Michelle Cain talks with Gray Skipper, a landowner directly impacted, and Charles Yates from Pacific Legal Foundation, about how this case became a major legal victory for property rights and what it means for the future of land management across America’s forests.

The Okefenokee Swamp is one of America’s most treasured wetlands—but the debate over mining on its edge is about more than conservation headlines. It’s about private property rights, rural livelihoods, and the families who have stewarded this land for generations. In this episode, host Michelle Cain sits down with Joe Hopkins of Toledo Manufacturing, a multigenerational forest company managing land near the swamp for over a century. From wildfire battles and timber markets to the tensions between environmental advocacy and local realities, Joe offers a rare, ground-level perspective on what it means to be a forest landowner in the shadow of the Okefenokee.

Join your host Michelle Cain and FLA's Vice President of Government Affairs, Craig Anderson, as they talk through the best ways to engage with your members of Congress and why that's important as a private forest landowner in the U.S.

In this special episode, we’re bringing you a panel discussion recorded live at the 2025 National Conference of Private Forest Landowners in Asheville, North Carolina on June 19, 2025. It’s one of the most talked-about panels of the event—and for good reason.The title? Is the Timberland Business Model Broken? Moderated by Pete Williams, this conversation dives headfirst into the economic realities facing private landowners today. With markets shifting, land prices rising, and carbon, solar, and biodiversity being tossed into the mix—how can landowners adapt? Our panelists bring a range of perspectives from carbon to seedling genetics, join• Max Nova, the CEO of Natural Capital Exchange, also known as NCX• Blake Stansell, President of Aurora Sustainable Lands,• and Jason Watson, Director of Sales and Marketing at ArborGen.

A special panel episode from the Forest Landowners Association NationalConference. In our first episode, FLA's CEO, Scott Jones, moderates a panel entitled Expanding Market Opportunities. Join Stacey Newstead from CarbonScape, Carrie Annand from American Biomass Energy Power Association, Rank Peeples with Peeples Industries, and Matt White with Drax Group US as they discuss expanding and emerging markets for private forest landowners.