Georgia Gov. Kemp Honors CatchMark's Forest Stewardship
ATLANTA, June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp honored Atlanta-based CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT) earlier this month as a 2021 partner in the state's Forestry for Wildlife Partnership, a program administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division (DNR). Gov. Kemp recognized CatchMark for its "stewardship and land management practices benefiting wildlife across Georgia. See press release from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources here.
Administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division, Forestry for Wildlife Partnership is a 25-year-old voluntary and participant-driven effort that encourages conservation of wildlife habitat on large private forestlands and provides public access to the properties for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, hiking and camping. Partner projects focus on making improvements that sync with Georgia's Bobwhite Quail Initiative and State Wildlife Action Plan, two statewide strategies.
Todd P. Reitz, CatchMark's Chief Resources Officer, said: "As a longtime participant in the Wildlife Partnership, CatchMark thanks Gov. Kemp and the State of Georgia for recognizing our efforts in conscientious forest management and sustainable practices. Working closely with the DNR, our various targeted initiatives not only promote healthier environments and enhance wildlife habitats as well as public recreation, but also help increase the long-term market value of timberland assets for our investors."
In fiscal 2020, CatchMark completed a signature project to reintroduce endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers at Sprewell Bluff Wildlife Management Area in Thomaston. During the year, the company also undertook the following initiatives:
- Supported a conservation easement to make its property near Ludowici available for recreational and research purposes and protect natural areas within Townsend Wildlife Management Area.
- Granted DNR access to properties in Long, Brantley and McIntosh counties for swallow-tailed kite nest surveys. Nest locations are stored in the company's GIS database.
- Cooperated with the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust in maintaining a conservation easement in Long County. The easement protects high priority habitats identified in Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan and provides property adjacent to Fort Stewart military base as part of the Army Compatible Use Buffer Program.
- Worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect habitat for the endangered fringed campion plant on company sites in Talbot County.
- Collaborated with the DNR to accommodate bird surveys on sites with differing site preparation treatments to determine possible effects of prescriptions on bird use in the areas.
- Practiced silvicultural treatments that promote the conservation of gopher tortoises and their habitat.
- Introduced prescribed burning into management regimes where appropriate, carefully considering social and environmental impacts.
- Leased more than 1,900 acres to the DNR for the Ocmulgee Wildlife Management Area near Cochran, allowing for public hunting and recreation.
- Sponsored outdoor recreational hunting opportunities for local youth groups and handicap organizations.
- Allowed universities to access lands for research, including a Virginia Tech pine growth study.
- Continued to integrate a harvest planning system that considers landscape-level diversity, including a robust pine-plantation thinning program that improves wildlife habitat, enhances forest health, and diversifies the landscape.
- Monitored and treated company lands for invasive species.
- Offered the use of portable skid and truck bridges for loggers to minimize impacts on stream crossings.
With ownership interests in approximately 243,800 acres across Georgia (as of 3/31/2021), CatchMark has been a part of the Wildlife Partnership since 2011.
About CatchMark
CatchMark (NYSE: CTT) seeks to deliver consistent and growing per share cash flow from disciplined acquisitions and superior management of prime timberlands located in high demand U.S. mill markets. Concentrating on maximizing cash flows throughout business cycles, the company strategically harvests its high-quality timberlands to produce durable revenue growth and takes advantage of proximate mill markets, which provide a reliable outlet for merchantable inventory. Headquartered in Atlanta and focused exclusively on timberland ownership and management, CatchMark began operations in 2007 and owns interests in 1.5 million acres* of timberlands located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas. For more information, visit www.catchmark.com.
* As of March 31, 2021
SOURCE CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc.
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