{"id":19152,"date":"2014-12-04T21:20:21","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T21:20:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=19152"},"modified":"2023-03-22T13:48:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T17:48:28","slug":"sfi-grant-encourages-private-landowners-to-maintain-forest-corridors-in-north-carolinas-cape-fear-arch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/sfi-grant-encourages-private-landowners-to-maintain-forest-corridors-in-north-carolinas-cape-fear-arch\/","title":{"rendered":"SFI Grant Encourages Private Landowners to Maintain Forest Corridors in North Carolina\u2019s Cape Fear Arch"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON, D.C.<\/strong> \u2014 Connecting a network of private forests could help bears, wild turkeys and\u00a0other species travel uninterrupted across parts of the Cape Fear Arch in southeastern North Carolina.\u00a0A Sustainable Forestry Initiative\u00ae Inc. (SFI) Conservation and Community Partnership Grant is\u00a0supporting landowner outreach by The Nature Conservancy\u2019s North Carolina Chapter to make this\u00a0vision a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to encourage buffering and forming corridors between existing managed lands. But this\u00a0can\u2019t be achieved solely by buying land to be set aside for conservation. We need private forest\u00a0landowners to participate. The underlying goal of the project is to promote long-term forest\u00a0management and conservation on private lands,\u201d said Dan Ryan, a Program Director with The Nature\u00a0Conservancy.<\/p>\n

The program helps land owners develop a forest management plan. This is a key program benefit.\u00a0Having a forest management plan gives landowners access to expertise and cost-sharing through the\u00a0Environmental Quality Incentives Program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This federal\u00a0program provides financial and technical assistance to landowners who are restoring forests by\u00a0planting longleaf pine and other tree species. The program also helps landowners meet federal, state,\u00a0tribal and local environmental regulations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to be able to support this Nature Conservancy project. We are confident it will help\u00a0keep privately held working forests as forests. Our hope is it will promote forest certification and\u00a0longleaf restoration in the context of managed forests, and create important connections between\u00a0longleaf pine habitats,\u201d said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc.<\/p>\n

The Nature Conservancy also relies on two key partners: The National Wild Turkey Federation and\u00a0Resource Management Service (RMS), LLC, a private timberlands investment firm managed by\u00a0forestry professionals. RMS is also an SFI Program Participant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pleased to be partners in this project. By working together we can demonstrate the\u00a0compatibility of longleaf restoration and sustainable forest management. The success of this project\u00a0will offer a great example that might be followed in other regions and forest types,\u201d said Craig Blair,\u00a0President and CEO of RMS.<\/p>\n

The Nature Conservancy also views the landowner outreach project as a pilot effort that could be\u00a0scaled up in the future. \u201cWe are establishing excellent working relationships with our partners and\u00a0based on early reactions from landowners I\u2019m confident this model could be applied across North\u00a0Carolina and in other states,\u201d said Ryan.<\/p>\n

SFI provided a $27,000 grant for the landowner outreach project. Since 2010, SFI has awarded more\u00a0than $1.9 million to foster research and to pilot efforts to better inform future decisions about our\u00a0forests. When leveraged with project-partner contributions, that total investment exceeds $7.1\u00a0million.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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