• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

		Southern Forests Southern Forests Alabama forests Arkansas forests Florida forests Georgia forests Louisiana forests Mississippi forests North Carolina forests South Carolina forests Tennessee forests Virginia forests Frequently asked questions Forests Join our Great Places Network Support our conservation work

Southern Forests Conservation Project

Tennessee forests protected by the Southern Forests Conservation Project Map © The Nature Conservancy View the full map (.PDF, 123 KB, new window) Plant bud in the Dry Branch property in Tennessee © Cory Holliday/TNC Enlarge this photo Download a high-resolution version of this photo (.JPG, 2.92 MB, new window) Dry Branch property in Tennessee © Cory Holliday/TNC Enlarge this photo Fact sheet: Southern Forests Conservation Project in Tennessee (.PDF, 277 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 Tennessee: 2,569 acres

• Lewis County (near Hohenwald, Tennessee): 2,569 acres

Representative Species

• Tennessee yellow-eyed grass

Project Partners

• The Nature Conservancy
• International Paper

Tennessee Forests

Dry Branch and its tributaries house the most extensive population of Tennessee yellow-eyed grass. Tennessee yelloweyed grass is federally endangered and listed as imperiled. The Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage and International Paper have managed a Registered State Natural Area here since 2003.

The site consists of seeps and small clumps of vegetation growing in limestone edges and cracks along Dry Branch Creek and its tributaries. Dry Branch Creek is one of six locations, all in Lewis County, where Tennessee yellow-eyed grass grows in Tennessee. The plant is found in only 15 locations throughout Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. The six locations in Lewis County represent the only extant occurrences of the plant in Tennessee.

For More Information

The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee
Working with partners, local communities, and people like you, The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 220,000 acres of critical natural habitat in Tennessee.

Help Support Our Conservation Work

Help us protect the last great places in the United States and all around the world! Be a steward of the Earth and an investor in our future. It's fast, easy, and secure.