Green groups buy forestland

International Paper is selling two tracts of land - 18,231 acres in Brunswick County, N.C., and 25,667 acres in Marion County - to The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy in a deal that includes 218,000 acres of forestland in 10 southeastern states.

The two nonprofits said they picked the most environmentally sensitive parcels they could find among millions of acres that the world’s largest paper company is looking to sell as part of its plan to shrink its business and boost profits.

The tract in Marion County, which borders Horry and Georgetown counties, is at the intersection of the Pee Dee River and Little Pee Dee River and serves as a critical migration corridor for birds, said Jena Thompson, The Conservation Fund spokeswoman.

This tract is expected to be transferred to the public in two to five years, Thompson said.

In South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford signed revenue bonds Tuesday as a first step toward the state acquiring its share of the land.

Sanford praised the opportunity to place forest land in protection on such a large scale.

Source: Jenny Burns, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC
with The Associated Press