With the allocation of these resources, during the last 8 years the fund has assigned 31 projects for a total of more than $3,8 million, with which the protection of 36,736,000 acres has been financed.

The preserved forests, part of ecologically sensitive lowland hardwoods in the coastal plains of Virginia and North Carolina, will help clean drinking water, purify the air, protect structures from storm surges, and provide habitat for many species of wildlife, while providing jobs and economic opportunities for rural families and private landowners.

Brandi Colander, chief sustainability officer at Enviva, noted:

The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund plays a critical role in keeping forests as forests across America’s timber basket, the U.S. Southeast.

Beneficiaries

Recipients of the 2023 Enviva Forest Conservation Fund grant include:

1. North Carolina Coastal Land Trust: A grant to the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust is undergoing the process to protect 1,400-acres of nearly roadless, unditched, and relatively undisturbed pocosin within the Carteret Crescent Conservation Focus Area. The tract links portions of the Croatan National Forest in Craven and Carteret Counties to the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge in Carteret County, and serves as an important habitat for a variety of threatened and endangered species, including Northern Long-Eared Bat, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Timber Rattlesnake, and the Acadian Flycatcher.
2. Three Rivers Land Conservancy: Three Rivers Land Conservancy aims to acquire a 1,011-acre property located along Drowning Creek in Moore County, NC. The tract adjoins existing conserved properties along Drowning Creek, providing connectivity for wildlife to thrive, including the Northern Pinesnake, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Rough-Leafed Loosestrife, and the Eastern Tiger Salamander. Drowning Creek is classified as a “High Quality Watershed,” contains a section of the Drowning Creek Aquatic Habitat, and buffers over 44,000 linear feet of stream.
3. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation: The Enviva Forest Conservation Fund is supporting a grant that will have a positive impact on over 3,860 acres of land located on the Nottoway and Meherrin Rivers in Virginia. The grant will be used to support conservation efforts aimed at protecting the natural habitats of a variety of wildlife, including neo-tropical songbirds, waterfowl, groundnesting birds, raptors, the Rafinesque’s Eastern Big -Eared Bat, and the Eastern Mudsnake. The tracts of land included in the grant provide important migratory pathways and habitats for these species, as well as contribute to the National Scenic Rivers initiative on the Nottoway River. The Meherrin tract, known as Pierces Lowgrounds, is a particularly important area, as it contains nearly 800-acres of hardwood wetlands and substantial Meherrin frontage.

Today, the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund, a 10-year, $5MM conservation program aimed at protecting environmentally sensitive bottomland and wetland forests, announced its 2023 grant recipients. Check out the full details here: https://t.co/iK28lV2HHQ pic.twitter.com/WNmGJnHFAN

— Enviva (@Enviva) April 18, 2023

“This year marks a special milestone for The Fund as this cycle’s projects, once completed, will catapult Enviva past its initial goal of conserving 35,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests two years ahead of schedule,” added Colander.