Contact Information	Date
For Immediate Release Contact: Rob Suydam 804.328.3031	January 23, 2009 VDOF 09002

Area Landowners Protect Forest Land With Conservation Easements

Landowners in Spotsylvania and Stafford counties have donated the first two forest conservation easements in the area to the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF). Dr. Mary Powell Lewis granted the Agency a conservation easement on 473 acres in Spotsylvania County, and The Falls at Able Lake LLC has protected 128 forested acres with an easement in Stafford County.

As Virginia loses more than 27,000 acres of forest land each year to development, conservation easements are ever more important to the health and well-being of the Commonwealth’s citizens. Large blocks of forest land are critical to sustainable forest management; interconnected wildlife habitat, and the flow of other ecosystem services, such as improving air and water quality, carbon sequestration and recreational opportunities. Unbroken forests also enhance the overall quality of life of area residents.

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and VDOF that protects the conservation values of a property. Most easements place permanent limits on the future development of each tract to protect the conservation values while the donor maintains the ownership, use and control of the property.

The forests on Dr. Lewis’ property, known as Plentiful Farm, have been managed for several decades with a history of forest management plans from VDOF dating back to 1953. In 1990, Dr. Lewis received the State Forestry Best Management Practices Award for the conservation work she had done on this tree farm.

Dr. Lewis said, “Planting and replanting trees was something my mother, Dorothy Powell, taught me to do, and she always did it with the help of [VDOF]. My mother would be very glad to know this land of mine is now protected from development.” Most of the property’s forested uplands support stands of planted loblolly pine, the majority of which were established in 1980. The forested stream bottoms contain hardwoods, including yellow poplar, red maple, sweet gum and various red and white oaks.

Dean Cumbia, director of VDOF’s Forest Resource Management Division, worked with Dr. Lewis for many years as an area forester. He said, “When we discussed her objectives for the property many years ago, she described her interest in what is now called sustainable forest management. Through her conservation easement, she has made it quite clear that she will continue down this path and keep her land as a productive forest.”

The 128 acres of forest protected in Stafford County was purchased in the early 1990s for future development, originally slated to be a residential subdivision called The Falls at Able Lake. The name originates from the multiple pristine waterfalls meandering through the eastern end of the property that cascade down to the site of an old grist mill from a bygone era. The forest land is adjacent to Able Lake and Long Branch Creek.

Andy Garrett, president of The Garrett Companies, said, “With the incredible growth that we have seen in the county and in Virginia, The Garrett Companies are pleased to have the opportunity to preserve this special piece of nature for posterity. We are equally pleased to be working with the Virginia Department of Forestry as the conservation easement holder.”

Rob Suydam, forest conservation specialist for VDOF, said, “Virginia will lose more forest land and agricultural land in the next 40 years than we have since the founding of Jamestown. The loss of forested acres and the fragmentation of the remaining acres reduce the potential of the forest to provide the economic, social and ecological benefits that we depend on. This continues to be one of the most significant threats to the forest resource in Virginia, especially in the coastal plain where the rate of development has been very high.”

With 15.7 million acres of forest land and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.

The VDOF conservation easement program is the only one in the state that focuses solely on protecting working forests. To be considered, a property must be at least 50 acres in size; 75 percent forested, and the landowner must be willing to have a forest stewardship management plan prepared. Landowners who want to ensure that their land will be forever maintained as forest should consider a VDOF easement.

For additional information on the VDOF conservation easement program, contact Rob Suydam, forest conservation specialist, at (804) 328-3031, or visit the VDOF Web site at www.dof.virginia.gov.

The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide service to citizens of the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

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With nearly 16 million acres of forest land and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.

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