Enviva Establishes Heirs Property Fund
Enviva Inc., the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, has announced the establishment of the Enviva Heirs Property Fund (EHPF), an initiative dedicated to ending involuntary land loss across the U.S. Southeast. Enviva has formally committed $250,000 on an annual basis to provide support to landowning families in the U.S. Southeast through direct financial support for professional services, identifying pathways for families to capture sustainable land value, and through public policy advocacy at the state and federal levels. EHPF’s efforts will begin in 2022 in Mississippi and North Carolina, and will expand to include direct financial aid to landholders incrementally throughout Enviva’s operational footprint in the coming years, in addition to the national policy work currently underway.
The issue of heirs property predominantly affects southern Black landholders, and has been a significant driver of Black land loss over the last century. The Federation of Southern Cooperatives, a non-profit association of Black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives, estimates that 60% of African American-owned land in the South is held as heirs property, and from 1910 to 2007, it is estimated that Black farmers lost approximately 80% of their land, from about 20 million acres to about 1.9 million acres today.
“Since our founding, Enviva has been unrelenting in our commitment to make a positive impact in the communities we call home. The launch of the Enviva Heirs Property Fund is one example of how we plan to make lasting progress across the U.S. Southeast today, tomorrow, and for generations to come,” says John Keppler, Enviva Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “As a values-driven company, we care about people first, from our associates and partners to our customers and communities. I am proud Enviva is playing a pivotal role in the journey to end involuntary land loss for disenfranchised families across the United States.”
To eliminate the systemic hurdles resulting in involuntary land loss, the Fund will act on the following three functions for landowners:
- Achieve Clear Title: Assist landowning families in achieving clear title to their land, thus removing the land from being vulnerable to involuntary loss. EHPF will connect families with the professional services necessary to secure clear and marketable title. Through this function, EHPF will assess each family’s needs as well as fund the professional services necessary to secure title.
- Unlock Sustainable Value from Land: Assist families in receiving value from their land for generations, which they are unable to do until they achieve clear title. Through existing partnerships, EHPF will connect, educate, and train families on resources and topics related to best practices for forest/land management, sustainable farming techniques, and merchandising. In parallel, EHPF will help families connect with the broad universe of federal and state benefits to landowners that hold acreage in clear title, such as grants for growing crops or building on their land, federal loans, and other governmentally bestowed benefits.
- Advocate for Changes in Public Policy: Advance policy solutions at the state and federal level to prevent involuntary land loss. EHPF will partner with several organizations that specialize in land loss prevention policy to resolve the ongoing, systemic land loss problem across the American South.
Enviva recognizes there are well-established groups who have been working in this space for decades, and therefore will continue to partner with existing regional groups to address involuntary land loss issues. Current partners include the Roanoke Electric Cooperative (NC) and Winston County Self Help Cooperative (MS), to name a few.
“More than 100 years of systemic injustice and antiquated property laws have robbed southern families of billions of dollars in generational wealth because of heirs property status,” adds Don Calloway, Vice President of Equity, Inclusion and Impact at Enviva. “As one of the world’s leading bioenergy and sustainability companies, Enviva has always worked with landowning families to maximize the value of their land. That process starts with helping families secure their land. We are proud to formalize our longtime efforts to marshal resources to reverse that trend and help secure family farms and the generational financial security they provide.”
Launching EHPF is the first step of many that Enviva is taking to address a pertinent problem spanning across the U.S. Southeast. Later this summer, Enviva is hosting the inaugural Heirs Property Policy Forum in Washington, D.C. to bring together legislators, landowners, community partners, and relevant organizations to create and deploy a unified policy agenda on heirs property.
To learn more about EHPF, visit www.heirsproperty.com. If you are a landowner in need of assistance, a legislator seeking information, or a professional service offering guidance, please contact heirsproperty@envivabiomass.com.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Enviva, MOL Drybulk Debut New Partnership
UK Biomass Demand Rises; Enviva Reports New Japanese Contract
Enviva Considers Biomass Role In Hydrogen Economy
Finite Carbon Receives New Majority Stakeholder
Enviva, Finite Carbon Focus On Small Landowners
Enviva Reports On New Pellet Projects
Latest news
Vermont Announces Business Loan Program
Vermont Announces Business Loan ProgramA new loan program from the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) is now available to support businesses in the state’s forest economy. Three million dollars in total financing can be provided in the form of loans up to...
West Salem Unveils New Website
West Salem Unveils New WebsiteWest Salem Machinery (WSM) has announced the launch of its newly redesigned website, www.westsalem.com, aimed at modernizing the user interface and making valuable information more intuitive and accessible. The updated website reflects...
New From Bandit: HM6420 Hammermill Horizontal Grinder
New From Bandit: HM6420 Hammermill Horizontal Grinder With considerable research and collaboration, the Bandit team launched its first hammermill grinder in 2024! The highly productive 40 in. capacity grinder is designed and manufactured to be an alternative solution...
Restoration Fuels Closes Central Oregon Biochar Plant
Restoration Fuels in John Day, Ore. has closed its doors as of mid July, laying off 11 employees in a move that closely follows the closure of Malheur Lumber in town.
New From Tigercat: 6040 Carbonizer
New From Tigercat: 6040 Carbonizer Tigercat Industries has announced the official release of its 6040 carbonizer—which replaces the 6050 carbonator that Tigercat marketed for a brief time after acquiring the product through the purchase of ROI in 2019. The mobile...
Michigan’s Viking Energy Biomass Plant Still Closing
Michigan’s Viking Energy Biomass Plant Still ClosingThe Viking Energy Biomass plant in Lincoln, Mich. is closing early despite being under contract until 2027 and a recent order not to let them out of the contract, according to reports. The company is moving ahead...
Find Us On Social
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Wood Bioenergy News Online hits the inboxes of subscribers in the wood-to-energy sectors.
Subscribe/Renew
Wood Bioenergy is published and delivered worldwide 6 times per year. Free to qualified readers in the U.S. Subscribers outside the U.S. are asked to pay a small fee.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.