Endowment Assists Defense Department with Forest Conservation

At military bases across the country, encroachment by non-compatible development (housing, for instance) threatens the military mission as it limits full use and capability of core lands for training purposes.  The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced the availability of a special $5 million fund for land conservation to benefit select military bases in Georgia and Florida to highlight innovative approaches that would help stretch the Department’s land conservation dollars.  Through their “Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative” (REPI), DoD actively seeks to protect buffer areas around bases using conservation easements and fee-title acquisitions.

“We’ve been actively engaged with DoD for several years now through the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities’ (the Endowment) leadership in the Partnership for Southern Forestland Conservation,” said Endowment Senior Vice President Peter Stangel.  “This exciting opportunity advances the Partnership’s on-the-ground goals, serves the military’s mission, and support’s the Endowment’s goal to retain healthy, working forests,” he noted.