Grant will initiate the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — The American Forest Foundation (AFF) awarded Prairie View A&M University a two-year grant to implement the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention (SFLR) Program in Texas. The $310,000 grant will allow Prairie View A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, (CAHS) Cooperative Extension Program (CEP)-Agriculture and Natural Resources (AgNR) unit to lead the program.
According to Clarence Bunch, Ph.D., AgNR Program Leader, “Our goal is to help landowners avoid heir’s property and land retention issues and understand the value of properly managing forest land.” The loss of historic black family land is endemic in the southeastern United States, where past discrimination and economic factors have diminished the value and productivity of black-owned forests. The SFLR program has assisted more than 1,400 landowners, who own a combined 99,000 acres, ensuring land assets remain held by historical landowners.