Our purchase of two vital parts of the Fairlawn Plantation property outside Charleston, South Carolina—a top priority of the US Forest Service for decades—was one of the largest private conservation investments ever within the 259,000-acre Francis Marion National Forest and the surrounding region.
Challenge accepted
Despite the widely recognized value of Fairlawn Plantation, other efforts to protect the land had met with frustration.
In 2014, with a funding commitment in hand from The Boeing Company, we quickly negotiated a series of agreements between state and federal agencies.
Giving the forests a fighting change
Longleaf is a fire-adapted ecosystem—meaning that the species requires frequent prescribed burning for its health and perpetuation.
Our acquisition of the property not only protects this important species, but it also makes controlled burning possible. As our work in the Southeast continues to grow, joining in the region’s longleaf pine conservation efforts is a natural fit. Restoring this southern icon is a monumental task, but working together, the conservation community is making it happen.