ATLANTA, June 10,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Gov. Brian
Kemp honored Atlanta-based
CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc. (NYSE: CTT) earlier this month
as a 2022 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, the Forestry for Wildlife Partnership
is a voluntary program that has promoted sustainable forest and
wildlife conservation in forestry practices for 25 years. Partner
projects focus on making improvements that sync with Georgia's Bobwhite Quail Initiative and State
Wildlife Action Plan, two statewide strategies.
In fiscal 2021, CatchMark undertook the following initiatives
recognized by Georgia's Department
of Natural Resources:
- Conducted timber work aimed at returning endangered
red-cockaded woodpeckers to Sprewell Bluff Wildlife Management Area
near Thomaston.
- Supported an existing conservation easement on its Townsend property, protecting natural areas in
the easement and making the tract available for recreation and
research within the 4,000-acre Townsend Wildlife Management
Area.
- Continued to grant DNR access to timberland in Long, Brantley and McIntosh counties for annual surveys of
swallow-tailed kite nests.
- Left natural longleaf stands at a targeted basal area, thinned
about 400 acres of loblolly pine to make way for adding cavity nest
boxes, and after hitting harvest and other targets, will turn the
remaining timber over to DNR to finish the transition.
- Continued to cooperate with the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust in
maintaining a conservation easement in Long County. This easement protects
high-priority habitats identified by Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan and
maintains open spaces adjacent to Fort
Stewart as part of the Army Compatible Use Buffer
Program.
- Worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect
habitat for endangered fringed campion on company sites in
Talbot County, and with DNR and
other botanists by permitting surveys for the plant to identify and
verify existing or potentially new sites.
- Continued work with DNR involving bird surveys on lands with
different site preparation prescriptions to determine possible
effects of varying treatments on birds' use of the areas.
- Practiced silvicultural treatments that promote conservation of
gopher tortoises and their habitat.
- Sponsored and held hunting events with youth groups and
organizations for the disabled to provide opportunities for these
groups to learn about hunting and enjoy the outdoors.
- Allowed universities access to company lands for research, such
as Virginia Tech's pine growth study.
CatchMark is also a member the University of
Georgia's Plantation Research Management Cooperative and is
helping develop foresters by letting Auburn
University conduct training and classes via field trips on
the company's timberlands.
- Continued an integrated harvest planning system that considers
landscape-level diversity. One example is robust thinning of pine
plantations that improves wildlife habitat and forest health.
- Monitored and treated company lands for invasive species.
- Continued recording and managing known populations of
Georgia's rare and threatened
species according to state and federal guidelines.
- Maintained and offered the use of portable skid and truck
bridges for logger's use to minimize stream crossing impact.
With ownership interests in approximately 231,200 acres across
Georgia (as of 3/31/2022),
CatchMark has been a part of the Wildlife Partnership since
2011.
About CatchMark
CatchMark (NYSE: CTT) invests in prime
timberlands located in the nation's leading mill markets, seeking
to capture the highest value per acre and to generate sustainable
yields through disciplined management and superior stewardship of
its exceptional resources. Headquartered in Atlanta and focused exclusively on timberland
ownership and management, CatchMark began operations in 2007 and
owns interests in approximately 350,000 acres of timberlands
located in the U.S. South. For more information visit
www.catchmark.com.
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SOURCE CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc.