Virginia: Two Conservation easements to prevent development on tree farm land
As Virginia loses more than 27,000 acres of forest land each year to
development, conservation easements are ever more important to the
health and well-being of the Commonwealth’s citizens. Dr. Mary Powell
Lewis granted the Agency a conservation easement on 473 acres in
Spotsylvania County, and The Falls at Able Lake LLC has protected 128
forested acres with an easement in Stafford County.
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Large blocks of forest land are critical to sustainable forest
management; interconnected wildlife habitat, and the flow of other
ecosystem services, such as improving air and water quality, carbon
sequestration and recreational opportunities. Unbroken forests also
enhance the overall quality of life of area residents.The forests on
Dr. Lewis’ property, known as Plentiful Farm, have been managed for
several decades with a history of forest management plans from VDOF
dating back to 1953. In 1990, Dr. Lewis received the State Forestry
Best Management Practices Award for the conservation work she had done
on this tree farm. Dr. Lewis said, “Planting and replanting trees was
something my mother, Dorothy Powell, taught me to do, and she always
did it with the help of [VDOF]. My mother would be very glad to know
this land of mine is now protected from development.” Most of the
property’s forested uplands support stands of planted loblolly pine,
the majority of which were established in 1980. The forested stream
bottoms contain hardwoods, including yellow poplar, red maple, sweet
gum and various red and white oaks.
Rob Suydam, forest conservation specialist for VDOF, said, “Virginia will
lose more forest land and agricultural land in the next 40 years than
we have since the founding of Jamestown. The loss of forested acres
and the fragmentation of the remaining acres reduce the potential of
the forest to provide the economic, social and ecological benefits
that we depend on. This continues to be one of the most significant
threats to the forest resource in Virginia, especially in the coastal
plain where the rate of development has been very high.” The 128
acres of forest protected in Stafford County was purchased in the
early 1990s for future development, originally slated to be a
residential subdivision called The Falls at Able Lake. The name
originates from the multiple pristine waterfalls meandering through
the eastern end of the property that cascade down to the site of an
old grist mill from a bygone era. The forest land is adjacent to Able
Lake and Long Branch Creek.
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