Apple, Inc. is partnering with a conservation group to protect 3,600 acres of forest land in North Carolina’s Brunswick County.
Apple is working with the Virginia-based Conservation Fund to protect a working forest in Brunswick County from development. Working forests are managed to sustainably produce timber while also providing recreational opportunities and protecting wildlife habitats.
The Brunswick land sits along North Carolina’s southern coast and according to the Conservation Fund’s Brian Dangler it is a prime target for developers.
“As most people know, the Wilmington area is growing very rapidly and this is on the Highway 17 corridor to Myrtle Beach, so it’s directly in the path of development,” Dangler said.
With funds from Apple—they wouldn’t say how much—Dangler says they purchased the privately-owned land in Brunswick along with more than 32,000 acres in a working forest in Maine. He says the forests together are large enough to provide timber for half of the paper packaging Apple used for its iPhone and other products last year. Dangler says they will also secure permanent protections for the forests.
“We are going to donate a working forest conservation easement to a third party that will perpetually protect the forest from subdivision and change in land use and ensure a sustainable forestry and then we will resell the land fully protected and roll the proceeds into a new working forest project,” he said.
Dangler says the land sales and purchases, with contributions from Apple and other companies they are approaching will result in a positive ripple effect for working forests nationwide.
