ENVIVA FOREST CONSERVATION FUND HELPS LAND TRUST PROTECT SENSITIVE WETLAND FORESTS
— Land Slated to Expand the Croatan National Forest —
Greenville, S.C. – An important watershed forest, adjacent to the Croatan National Forest on the coast of North Carolina, will soon be conserved, thanks in part to a grant to the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust (Land Trust) from the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund (Fund). The Land Trust received a $30,000 grant toward the acquisition of 181 acres of forestland, a rich ecosystem consisting of pond pine woodland, pocosin wetland habitat, bottomland hardwoods, and longleaf pine.
The property is bordered on three sides by the Croatan National Forest in Craven County and includes a tributary of the Trent River in the Neuse River Basin, an important watershed to the mostly rural area, known for both timber and agriculture. The Land Trust plans to offer the property as a donation to the USDA Forest Service (USFS), and if accepted, will be managed as part of the Croatan National Forest, which is similar in habitat value.
“We are thrilled to be able to acquire this forestland – an important watershed ecosystem that includes both pine and hardwood,” said Camilla Herlevich, Executive Director of the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. “The tract will be forever preserved and will remain a healthy habitat for wildlife. We are grateful to Enviva for their contribution to our conservation mission.”
“Thanks to this purchase this land now will be managed in perpetuity as forest, rather than being converted to agriculture or other non-forest uses,” said Carlton Owen, President and CEO of the U. S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities which administers the Fund. “Moreover, if accepted by the USFS, the land will expand one of the most important public spaces in the region.”
The Fund’s goal is to be a catalyst for investments in forest and habitat conservation in the southeastern Virginia region and North Carolina’s coastal plain. More than three years into the planned 10-year partnership, 13 projects have been funded with a total commitment of over $1.5 million, including the grant announced today. When these projects are completed, the Fund will have helped protect an estimated 17,000 acres of sensitive wetland forest and other habitats.
About the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund
The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is a $5 million, 10-year program established by Enviva Holdings, LP in December 2015 to protect environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests. Administered by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the Fund awards grants annually to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for conservation projects in North Carolina and Virginia. https://envivaforestfund.org
About North Carolina Coastal Land Trust
Founded in 1992, the mission of the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust is to enrich the coastal communities of North Carolina through conservation of natural areas and working landscapes, education, and the promotion of good land stewardship. The Coastal Land Trust has become the largest land trust geographically in the state of North Carolina, serving 31 counties along the entire coastal plain. The Coastal Land Trust is committed to saving and restoring special places in the coastal plain like barrier islands, nature parks and preserves, family farms, and longleaf pine forests. To learn more about the Coastal Land Trust, please visit their website at www.coastallandtrust.org.
For more information contact:
Alicia Cramer, Senior Vice President, (205) 792-865, alicia@usendowment.org
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) is a not-for-profit public charity working collaboratively with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities – www.usendowment.org
