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 children of some of these clients. With his professional skills, his desire to be a good steward, his good character, and his ability to communicate with landowners, I hope he will have a long and successful career as a forest steward just as I have.
As a forester, we are a trusted steward of the land for the time we are here. It is a somewhat personal and intimate relationship with the land, the client and nature. Our duty of being a good steward is accomplished in many ways to obtain the various goals of our clients. When working with clients with long term asset management goals, the relationship can span a lifetime. Many conversations, meetings and hours of hard work are logged in to make certain your objectives are clearly understood, and a sound plan or path is laid out to achieve those goals. These plans can take years and sometimes decades to achieve. Strong relationships and deep trust are developed over this time. These relationships are special and the great pleasure and satisfaction of successfully managing a forest and being an excellent steward of the land is a great blessing.
This article is dedicated to my cousin and dear friend, Sam. Sam was a great man, husband, father, and forester. He passed in the woods doing what he loved.
Written By: John R Frankhouser, ALC
