From Marginal to Thriving

Breaking New Ground in a Family Legacy of Farming

The Woodfin family has owned these 235 acres since the 1920s, farming 125 acres since the 1930s. They grew cotton until the 1950s, Woodfin says, and then moved on to soybeans, rice, corn, milo and winter wheat.

He pauses to take in this moment: his family’s farm serving as the center of a unique event with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). “How does it feel to be the first, Max?” yells Jason Milks, TNC’s U.S. reforestation program director.

Milks navigates plowed rows to greet Woodfin, whose expression moves quickly from stunned amazement to a wide satisfied smile upon hearing the news: The Woodfins are the first landowners to sign on to TNC's Floodplain Reforestation Program to reforest their land for the next 30 years.

“We were delighted, amused and a little bit amazed to find out that we were the first landowners to participate in this program,” he says.

Flooding and Lost Revenue

The Woodfin family's farm is located in a region that’s experiencing intense impacts of climate change, including more frequent and devastating floods. Over the last decade, flooding in the Mississippi River Delta region has hit historical highs. 

“Today is a tribute to my father and mother, who gave back to their community with their time and talent. They were not wealthy people, so they gave back in ways that best suited their abilities,” he says. “None of their children or grandchildren are monetarily wealthy either, so Munnie and Pop would have been thrilled to see us give back with their land.”

When the property was reassessed, Woodfin discovered another benefit to enrolling in the program. The reforested portion of the land was reclassified as timberland, rather than agricultural, resulting in a county property tax reduction of 84%.

A long relationship with The Nature Conservancy

The Woodfins' relationship with TNC started when the organization sought his permission to access the Bayou DeView from his farm to confirm a kayaker’s sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker—a bird not seen in decades. For a few months, the Woodfin family farm was ground zero for TNC scientists and conservation partners who hoped to find the elusive bird’s habitat.

Fast forward two decades. When it was time for TNC to reach out to farmers about the new reforestation program, Woodfin was one of the first landowners who received a call. The timing was perfect, he says, due to the family’s growing frustration during the last 20 years of farming.

“I don’t want to cast any aspersions on native deer,” he whispers as if deer are eavesdropping, “but we were losing crops to deer because this was one of the few fields in production. The deer thought of this as their salad bar.”

With few good options for managing the crops to keep deer away, Woodfin says, TNC’s offer to reforest his farm was worth serious consideration. “What we see here is a reforestation program that will blend with the natural environment that was disturbed more than 100 years ago to put the land into farm production.”

A great place for wildlife and nature

Greg Garrison, Woodfin’s nephew, remembers his grandfather, Harold Woodfin, bringing him to the property when he was young.

“It’s just a beautiful place,” he says. “It’s part of our heritage and part of our story. I hope my kids appreciate that and in 30 years, when our reforestation agreement ends, it will be their decision to continue. I love that we’re using some common sense and purposeful thought to make a great place for wildlife and nature in general.”

Woodfin encourages Delta landowners to enroll their marginal land into the Floodplain Reforestation Program. “If you have marginal acres, we would urge you to talk to The Nature Conservancy to see if your property would be a good fit for this program. The Nature Conservancy is a wonderful partner,” he says. “You’re going to benefit the environment, you’re going to benefit your own bank account, and you’re going to be helping The Nature Conservancy in their overall objectives. It’s easy.”