#104 | The trust factor takes up 70% of my time – even today

Season 7 | Community of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) | Episode 5

#104 | The trust factor takes up 70% of my time – even today

March 27, 2019 | Alex Harvey

Alex Harvey is a consulting forester and a registered professional forester in Mississippi and Alabama who helped with the development and piloting of the Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program (SFLR), and he still vigorously supports the program today. After growing up on a cattle ranch and loving the outdoors, Alex graduated from Mississippi State University’s College of Forest Resources in Forestry and Wildlife Management before beginning his distinguished career. In this episode, Alex discusses the origins of the SFLR program, how he and others assist landowners today, advice for landowners, and the challenges that still need overcoming. “There’s a lot of bad apples that spoil it for the rest of us, and it takes time to build up the trust that you’re one of the good guys,” he says. Listen to the whole episode and share it with others today!

[1:40] A message from Leadership Nature.

[2:20] A quick intro about Alex’s background.

[4:30] How did Alex come up with the name ‘Legacy Land Management’ for his company?

[7:40] Alex gives a quick recap on what is “heirs property.”

[12:55] How did Alex first get into this line of work?

[21:50] What are some of the reasons why a landowner would want to work with Alex?

[24:55] Alex shares a horror story about what happened to an elderly landowner’s land and timber.

[32:15] It took Alex about three years to help landowners make small steps towards the proper use of their land.

[34:45] What resources can landowners tap into to get the help that they need?

[38:25] What kinds of challenges does Alex run into, and why does he love his job?