The Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project began as a partnership between the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service and, more recently, the American Forest Foundation.
The Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project works to restore and conserve threatened forest land by increasing forest-owner income and land asset values. Originally, the program focused on woodland owners in the seven counties that comprise Roanoke Cooperative’s service area — Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton, and Perquimans. Thanks to additional funding, the program expanded its reach in 2022 to serve woodland owners in another six counties — Edgecombe, Granville, Martin, Nash, Vance and Warren.
All landowners owning at least one contiguous eight-acre parcel of woodland are eligible to participate. The project engages youth and young adults in learning what they need to know to advance sustainable forestry on their family lands and provides role models, mentoring and internship opportunities to begin cultivating future natural resource professionals.
In addition to the partnership entities identified above, the program is sponsored by Roanoke Cooperative, The Roanoke Center and Enviva.
2023 Program Elements & Achievements brochure
Meet Alton Perry
Alton is the Director of Roanoke Cooperative’s Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention Project. Alton is retired from the NC Forest Service; he served in Wake County from 1982 until 2006, and he served as Outreach Coordinator in the state office in Raleigh from 2006 until his retirement in 2012.
Our Partners
Our technical partners are Enviva, the USDA Farm Service Agency, the USDA Office of Partnerships & Public Engagement 2501 Program, The Conservation Fund, North Carolina Forest Service, North Carolina Department of Agriculture, North Carolina State University-Extension Forestry, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina Tree Farm Program, North Carolina Forestry Association, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s North Carolina division and the University of Mount Olive. You can find their logos and links to their websites below.
