None The Nature Conservancy in Virginia Press Releases Search All Press Releases Daniel White Phone: (804) 295-6106 E-mail: dwhite@tnc.org James Foster Phone: (912) 238-7240 E-mail: james.foster@ipaper.com

International Paper First to Enroll in Nature Conservancy Program

Date: 01/04/01

(Wakefield, VA) International Paper today became the first private landowner in Virginia to enroll in The Nature Conservancy’s "Safe Harbor" program in Sussex County. Under the agreement, International Paper will manage 286 acres adjacent to the Conservancy’s Piney Grove Preserve to enhance habitat for the only breeding population remaining in Virginia of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.

"The continued survival of this species in Virginia depends largely upon our ability to provide enough quality habitat, so forging partnerships with private landowners is essential," said Michael Lipford, the Conservancy’s Virginia Director. "International Paper’s commitment to Safe Harbor sets an admirable example that we hope other landowners will follow."

"International Paper’s participation in Virginia’s Safe Harbor is a logical progression of our desire to be a good neighbor in the communities near and where we have operations," said Dr. Sharon Haines, International Paper’s manager of sustainable forestry and forest policy. "Our participation in Safe Harbor underscores International Paper’s resolve—backed by performance—to practice Sustainable Forestry. Sustainable Forestry to International Paper is certified and verified on-the-ground actions to ensure that the forests we have today will provide not only for our current needs, but the needs of our children and grandchildren as well. Sustainable Forestry also means water and air quality improvement and habitat for wildlife. That is why we are very excited to participate in this effort," Haines said.

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Forest owners who voluntarily enroll in Safe Harbor agree, for a specified period, to restore or improve their land as woodpecker habitat. In exchange, they avoid future regulatory restrictions on the use of their land should red-cockaded woodpeckers—protected under the Endangered Species Act—become established on their property.

For nesting and foraging habitat, the red-cockaded woodpecker prefers a forest of mature pines with an open, park-like understory. International Paper will manage its enrolled forest to help replenish this disappearing type of habitat. For example, the company will restore or thin pines on certain tracts, while controlling hardwood growth to maintain an open understory.

Owners of forest property within a 40-mile radius of Piney Grove Preserve are eligible to enroll in the Conservancy’s Safe Harbor program, which is modeled on similar programs in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

Virginia’s Safe Harbor program was developed cooperatively by The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and Environmental Defense, a private conservation organization that helped initiate the Safe Harbor concept in 1995.

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The Nature Conservancy, an international non-profit organization, works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. It has helped protect 225,000 acres in Virginia and owns and manages 31 preserves in the state through the support of more than 36,000 Virginia Chapter members. The Conservancy’s worldwide office is located in Arlington. Visit its website at www.tnc.org,

International Paper (http://www.internationalpaper.com) is the world's largest paper and forest products company. Businesses include paper, packaging, and forest products. As one of the largest private forest landowners in the world, the company manages its forests under the principles of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFIsm) program, a system that ensures the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees while protecting wildlife, plants, soil, air and water quality. Headquartered in the United States, International Paper has operations in nearly 50 countries, employs more than 117,000 people and exports its products to more than 130 nations.