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Greenwood Foundation and The Nature Conservancy Sign Agreement for Management and Conservation of Greenwood Plantation

New York—July 29, 2002—The New York-based Greentree Foundation, a private foundation created by the late Mrs. John Hay Whitney, today announced that it has awarded management of the historic Greenwood Plantation in Thomas County, Ga., to The Nature Conservancy - the world's largest conservation organization. The 5,200-acre plantation is one of the most ecologically significant, privately-held properties in the southeastern United States due to its rich biodiversity and an extensive section of unspoiled old-growth longleaf pine.

Located in southwest Georgia's Red Hills, Greenwood is one of the world's last remaining examples of a vanishing ecosystem - the longleaf pine forest. Abundant with wildlife, the property contains a 1,000-acre old-growth section of longleaf pine known as the "Big Woods," where trees range in age up to 500 years old. Once covering more than 90 million acres across the Southeast, less than 3 percent of the original longleaf pine forests remain. Rivaling Latin American rain forests in species diversity, longleaf pine ecosystems can contain over 40 plant species per square meter - among the highest values reported at this scale in the world - and support an estimated 300 globally imperiled species.

The Nature Conservancy will officially assume management of Greenwood, which includes several historically significant buildings, on September 1, 2002. At that time, the five-person staff at Greenwood will shift to the employ of the Conservancy. Over a period of 12 months, Greentree and the Conservancy staff will work cooperatively to allow the Conservancy to become knowledgeable about all aspects of the property and to establish partnerships with educational, research and preservation organizations. Following the 12-month period, the Greentree Foundation expects to transfer ownership of the property to The Nature Conservancy. 

"Following the wishes of Mr. and Mrs. Whitney, the Greentree Foundation's Board of Trustees carefully considered how best to ensure the conservation and management of Greenwood," said Robert Curvin, president of the Greentree Foundation. "After careful analysis, they decided to entrust the property to The Nature Conservancy because of its exceptional record of managing important, diverse ecosystems throughout the world. The Conservancy also enjoys broad public and private support in its mission of protecting the plants and animals that represent the diversity of life on Earth."

 "Greenwood is truly a special place, and The Nature Conservancy is honored to continue the Whitney family's tradition of protecting its natural diversity," said Steve McCormick, president and chief executive officer of The Nature Conservancy. "This management agreement offers us the opportunity to protect a rapidly disappearing longleaf pine habitat, which is home to a variety of species like the red-cockaded woodpecker and the gopher tortoise."

Longleaf pine grasslands, such as those at Greenwood, are a conservation priority for The Nature Conservancy because they hold the key to an array of conservation opportunities for other species. The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, for instance, exists in significant numbers on the Greenwood property because of the abundance of old-growth longleaf pines it requires for roosting and nesting. Other species of concern at Greenwood include the pine snake, the gopher tortoise, Bachman's sparrow, wire-leaf dropseed, the wood stork, yellow fringeless and snowy orchids, and Turk's cap lilies.

In addition to the unique longleaf pine grasslands, the Greenwood property contains a slope forest along the Ochlocknee River; the Plateau, a longleaf pine sandhill community distinct from the old growth area of the "Big Woods;" as well as Heard's Pond, a 700-acre wetland area, a critical habitat for the wood stork. The landscape diversity of Greenwood further enhances the number of plant and animal species found at the property, not just those species associated with longleaf pine habitat.

"We are extremely grateful to the Greentree Foundation for entrusting us with the care of Greenwood," said Tavia C. McCuean, vice president and state director of The Nature Conservancy, Georgia Chapter. "Coupled with its amazing cultural uniqueness, there is no other place in the world where one can see this type of landscape."

The ecological value of Greenwood Plantation is due to the long-term, innovative management of the property. John Hay Whitney, who inherited the plantation in 1944, worked with Ed and Roy Komarek, Herbert L. Stoddard and Leon Neel to manage the forest while preserving the integrity of the ecosystem. Based on the forest management work first started at Greenwood by the Komareks, Stoddard and Neel developed the "single tree selection method" - a conservative approach that makes the health of the ecosystem the primary objective. Instead of the traditional system of removing the highest quality trees and leaving the inferior ones in the forest, this method requires cutting trees based on age (retaining old-growth), species (sparing longleaf in mixed-pine stands), defects and crown size (first eliminating those with sparser crowns).

Also known as the "Stoddard-Neel Method," the technique includes prescribed burning, which enhances wildlife habitat and maintains the open canopy and rich understory characteristic of the
longleaf pine ecosystem. Neel, who is still the consulting forester at Greenwood, continues to employ the single tree selection method.

 "The Nature Conservancy recognizes longleaf pine forests as a priority for conservation across its range," stated Randy Tate, director of science and stewardship for The Nature Conservancy, Georgia Chapter. "Managing these forests with fire is crucial. The unique diversity of a longleaf forest is in its understory. This grassy ground layer, like the longleaf pine itself, depends on frequent fire to persist. Unlike most southeastern forests, Greenwood has used prescribed burning for over 100 years, resulting in a diverse, healthy forest."

Dr. Lindsay Boring, director of the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway in Baker County, Ga., noted, "The Big Woods at Greenwood is a unique treasure, representing a large old-growth stand of longleaf pine that could be described as one of the 'best of the last' remaining in the southern United States." Dr. Boring added, "The beauty and ecological health of this privately-owned woodland tract is evidence of the fine quality of land stewardship and management practiced over the decades by those who owned and worked with its forest and wildlife resources."

Through an adaptive management plan developed by Greenwood and Nature Conservancy staff members, The Nature Conservancy will work to conserve and protect Greenwood as the highest quality example of a longleaf pine wiregrass ecosystem in the Red Hills and the East Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion of the United States. In addition, the Conservancy will seek to actively extend Greenwood's value beyond its boundaries through education, expanded conservation and research.

About the Greentree Foundation
Mrs. John Hay Whitney founded the Greentree Foundation in 1982 after the death of her husband John Hay Whitney. The foundation is dedicated to supporting charitable, educational and scientific programs. Following the death of Mrs. Whitney in 1998, the Foundation became the owner of Greenwood Plantation. The Greentree Foundation trustees have undertaken to insure that Greenwood will be used for charitable, educational and scientific purposes, consistent with the wishes of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney.

Photographs and map are available here.