Green Hill Land and Forestry Blog

What It Really Takes to Be a Land Specialist

Buying or selling rural land is nothing like residential real estate. It takes more than a license—it takes years of hands-on experience, specialized training, and a deep understanding of land, timber, and wildlife. That’s where a true land specialist comes in. At Green Hill Land & Forestry, we’ve spent decades managing, buying, selling, and improving rural properties across the Southeast. From leading land management workshops across the U.S. to creating personalized strategies for our clients, our expertise is rooted in the woods, not just the office. Here are just a few of the ways a land specialist adds value: Maximize … [Read more...]

Forest Land Protection Act (FLPA) – Ad Valorem Tax Exemption for Forest Landowners

Our team at Green Hill Land & Forestry recently brokered the sale of a property that was enrolled in the Georgia Forest Land Protection Act, known as FLPA (pronounced “flippa”. We find that many landowners, buyers and sellers are not aware of the two primary covenants for land: 1) Forest Land Protection Act – FLPA and 2) Conservation Use Valuation Assessment - CUVA, which are county level tax covenants that have a positive tax benefit for landowners. For this article, we will review FLPA by answering some of the basic questions regarding the covenant. What is FLPA? Forest Land Protection Act (FLPA) is a tax exemption … [Read more...]

Do I Need an Appraisal to Sell My Land?

Landowners preparing to sell their land frequently ask us if an appraisal is needed before we begin marketing the property. The short answer is … NO. Much like an appraiser, Land Brokers utilize comparable land sales to value properties according to the market’s expectations. Only in certain circumstances where a property is extremely unique or in a rapidly transitioning market do we recommend an appraisal. Even in such circumstances, appraisals still may not capture these unique value propositions. It is very important for a good Land Broker to be rooted in data. You may find some real estate brokers that tell a … [Read more...]

Fire and Wildlife: The benefits of Prescribed Burns

For millions of years, fire has periodically burned the land. Every time fire burns an area of land, the fire manipulates the vegetation on the forest floor. Some species of vegetation are more tolerant of fire than others. Depending on the intensity of the fire and the time of year of the fire, different outcomes are achieved. Below are a few ideas of how prescribed controlled burns can benefit wildlife and habitat. Time of the Year to Burn and Planned Outcome. Burns in winter, spring and summer have different outcomes. With the goal of producing high protein and tons of food per acre, we plan burns at different times … [Read more...]

Prepare for Hunting Season with Minimal Disturbance to Wildlife

Hunting season is upon us again. It is time to prepare your patches and work on stands. Less disturbance to your game will make for more productive hunting. Below are a few tips that may be helpful. Typically, tractor noise does not bother the wildlife. Most of the time a tractor is a signal that there is food or will be food soon. We recommend trying to keep activity to a minimum in the spring to help young birds and fawns get a little age on them and leave cover. By mid-summer, roads should have been mowed roads once. If you don’t mow a couple of times in summer, small saplings and weeds take over. Many of us have hunted the … [Read more...]

What it Means to Be a Forester

Longterm Commitment & Lifelong Relationships My first cousin that I grew up with on the family farm recently passed. He was also a forester and land broker and a very good one. One of his clients called in tears and was so upset about this sudden and tragic event. This made me think of the lifelong relationships we develop with our clients over time. This is especially true as a forester. Managing forest and land often becomes a lifelong relationship. I have managed land, harvested timber and reforested timberland for many clients for over 40 years. My son has come to work with me, and he has developed relationships with the adult … [Read more...]