Alabama's Forever Wild Program Acquires Nearly 10,000 Acres Along Coosa River for Recreation

Oct 29, 01:09 PM

Current Headlines: To: STATE EDITORS

Contact: Greg Lein of Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, +1-334-353-7998, greg.lein@dcnr.alabama.gov; or Brian Carmichael of Hancock Timber Resource Group, +1-617-663-4748, bcarmichael@jhancock.com

MONTGOMERY, Ala., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- In its first major recreation- focused acquisition in Central Alabama, the state's Forever Wild Land Trust program has acquired nearly 10,000 acres of timberland in the Coosa Wildlife Management Area from the Hancock Timber Resource Group, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ALDCNR) Commissioner Barnett Lawley announced today.

Approximately 9,800 acres on and around the Coosa River will be protected permanently for recreational use by the citizens of Alabama. The property, which has several miles of frontage along the Coosa River, and the Hatchet and Weogufka Creeks, is centrally located in Coosa County between Birmingham and Montgomery, two of the state's largest population centers.

The transaction represents one of the largest acquisitions by Forever Wild since the program's inception in 1992. The land will be managed by the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

"While our Forever Wild program has made numerous acquisitions to protect environmentally sensitive lands in our state, this is the first instance of our acquiring a large parcel of land in Central Alabama specifically for hunting and recreational purposes," Commissioner Lawley said. "This beautiful property, which has been well managed by the Hancock Timber Resource Group, will now be open forever to our citizens for hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding and a host of other recreational activities."

Mr. Lawley added that the acquisition also will allow the state to protect and eventually extend a rare mountain longleaf pine ecosystem which is inhabited by endangered red cockaded woodpeckers.

"The Hancock Timber Resource Group has a long history of working with communities, states and conservation groups to protect environmentally sensitive land. To date, our Sensitive Lands Program has protected approximately 320,000 acres across the United States," said Mike Wolf, director of North American Forest Operations, Hancock Timber Resource Group. "We are very pleased to be able to work with the state and a number of conservation organizations to protect this land so that Alabama residents will be able to enjoy its use for generations to come."

Under the Forever Wild program, the state was required to purchase not only environmentally sensitive lands, but also lands for recreational use. The property will continue to be part of the state's Coosa Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The Coosa WMA has been in continuous operation since 1952 and represents the oldest WMA established in cooperation with the forestry community.

Greg Lein, Assistant Director, ALDCNR, State Lands Division, Natural Heritage Section, said the acquisition of the property was not only a great opportunity for residents, but increasingly is becoming a necessity.

"For a variety of reasons the amount of land available to the public for hunting and recreational use has steadily declined," Mr. Lein said. "This beautiful tract of land, within easy driving distance of a large portion of the state's population, offers wonderful recreational opportunities and has important environmental protection aspects as well. This is a tremendous acquisition and we hope to do other such transactions in the future."

Mr. Lein said the Coosa property is home to areas of mature mountain longleaf pine. Under the agreement, the state plans to extend the existing mountain longleaf pine ecosystem by roughly an additional 3,000 acres. Hancock Timber Resource Group, which has managed these lands since 2000, will help facilitate the transition to longleaf by removing the loblolly pine on these areas over the next 10 years.

"We not only will be protecting red-cockaded woodpeckers, but also will be restoring an important mountain longleaf pine ecosystem," Mr. Lein said. "Mountain longleaf pine once covered large areas of the state but is now only found on a small portion of its former range."

All of Hancock Timber's North American properties are certified using the SFI(R) (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) Standard.

About Forever Wild

The Forever Wild Program was established in 1992 by constitutional amendment to provide for the purchase of public recreational lands. Since its inception, the program has purchased 133,000 acres of land for general recreation, nature preserves and additions to Wildlife Management Areas and state parks. To learn more about the Forever Wild Program, please visit www.alabamaforeverwild.com.

About the Hancock Timber Resource Group

The Hancock Timber Resource Group, a division of Hancock Natural Resource Group, Inc, an operating company of MFC Global Investment Management, manages approximately 3.8 million acres of timberland worth approximately $6.8 billion in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast United States as well as Brazil, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Additional information about HTRG may be found at www.hancocktimber.com.

MFC Global Investment Management(R) represents the diversified investment management group of Manulife Financial. MFC Global Investment Management companies and affiliates provide asset management strategies for institutional investors, investment funds and individuals in key markets around the world. This investment expertise extends across a full range of asset classes including equity, fixed income and alternative investments such as oil & gas, real estate, timber, farmland, as well as asset allocation strategies.

MFC Global Investment Management has investment offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, and throughout Southeast Asia. As at June 30, 2007, total assets managed for Manulife Financial companies and affiliates and for other clients exceeded C$240 billion (US$210 billion.). Additional information about MFC Global Investment Management may be found at www.mfcglobal.com.

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SOURCE Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

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