NEW YORK, June 10, 2024 – The BTG Timberland Investment Group (TIG) announced today the completion of a sale of a 280-acre parcel of land in the Appalachian region of Ohio to the Appalachia Ohio Alliance (AOA), a non-profit devoted to conservation.
The property is located within the Hocking Hills region of Ohio, a popular recreation area close to Columbus, and is adjacent to Salt Creek, an exceptional warmwater habitat classified as an Outstanding State Water. The permanent conservation of the 280-acre forest will help protect important habitat for local biodiversity and support downstream water quality, supporting the AOA’s greater Hocking Hills initiative, which focuses on the protection of riparian corridors and water quality.
Prior to the sale, the area had been by identified as having high conservation value by The Nature Conservancy (TNC),with whom TIG has an ongoing collaboration, making it a strong candidate for permanent protection.
“We are thrilled that this sale is moving forward. It’s a concrete example of the sort of opportunity we are working to identify in our collaboration with TNC, so that we can make strategic decisions that provide benefits for local communities and for local biodiversity. In this case, the sale feeds into AOA’s broader conservation efforts in the Appalachian region of Ohio,” said Charlotte Kaiser, Head of Impact Finance at TIG.
“We are very grateful to BTG Timberland Investment Group for working with AOA to forever protect this Hocking Hills area property that is so important for water quality, habitat contiguity and protection of the aesthetic beauty of this remarkable area, which is one of Ohio’s most valuable tourist destinations,” said Steve Fleegal, the Executive Director of Appalachia Ohio Alliance.