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Southern Forests Conservation Project

Louisiana forests protected by the Southern Forests Conservation Project Map © The Nature Conservancy View the full map (.PDF, 138 KB, new window) Copenhagen Prairies and Hills Conservation Area © Rick Jacob/TNC Enlarge this photo Download a high-resolution version of this photo (.JPG, 2.59 MB KB, new window) Copenhagen Prairies and Hills Conservation Area © Richard Martin/TNC Enlarge this photo Fact sheet: Southern Forests Conservation Project in Louisiana (.PDF, 309 KB, new window)

The Nature Conservancy and International Paper have undertaken a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect ecologically important forests, rivers and streams in 10 southern states. The Nature Conservancy will acquire more than 218,000 acres in the largest private land conservation project in the history of the southern United States. Partners include state governments, federal agencies, the Department of Defense and timber investment entities.

Total Protected Area in Louisiana: 440 acres

• Copenhagen/Ouachita Hills
• Caldwell Parish
• Northeast Louisiana

Representative Species

This area is among the premier botanical sites in Louisiana. At least 24 plant species found at this site are considered rare, and ten of them have yet to be found anywhere else in the state. Globally rare species include threeflowered Hawthorn, Oglethorpe oak, and southern lady's-slipper orchid. The area supports an extremely high diversity of native woody plants, perhaps more than in any other comparably sized area in the U.S. Weathering of Eocene-aged marine deposits (20 + million years old) has exposed extensive beds of fossils and the area has been recognized as an important paleontological site for decades. These calcium-rich soils have influenced the development of unusual woodland, forest and prairie plant communities.

Project Partners

• The Nature Conservancy
• International Paper
• University of Louisiana, Monroe

Louisiana Forests

This 440-acre tract in the Copenhagen/Ouachita Hills is a critical piece of the conservation landscape in Louisiana. The Nature Conservancy is also discussing conservation options for an additional tract of private land that connects The Conservancy’s 550-acre preserve with the IP Tract. Together, the three tracts will conserve over 1,300 acres and form the core natural area within a biologically rich landscape of woodlands, prairies and bottomland forests. The Conservancy will encourage controlled public access for recreation, research and environmental education.

For More Information

The Nature Conservancy in Louisiana
Working with partners, local communities, and people like you, The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 144,000 acres of critical natural habitat in Louisiana.

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