Agreement to preserve 1,000 acres of longleaf pines

THOMASVILLE - The Nature Conservancy has signed an agreement to preserve the 5,200-acre Greenwood Plantation, including 1,000 acres of old-growth longleaf pines. <br> <br> The conservancy, the world&#39;s largest conservation organization, will begin managing the plantation on Sept. 1 under the agreement with the plantation&#39;s owner, the Greentree Foundation, a private group created by the late Mrs. John Hay Whitney of Manhasset, N.Y. <br> <br> After a year, ownership will be transferred to the conservancy, which makes a priority of preserving longleaf pine forests. <br> <br> Two centuries ago, such forests covered more than 90 million acres across the Southeast. Now, less than 3 percent of the original forest remains. <br> <br> The pine growths hold the key to an array of conservation opportunities, said Steve McCormick, president of the Nature Conservancy. <br> <br> The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker exists in significant numbers on Greenwood because of the presence of the old-growth pines the bird requires for roosting and nesting. <br> <br> Other animals of concern at Greenwood include the pine snake, the gopher tortoise, Bachman&#39;s sparrow and the wood stork. The land is also home to plants such as the wire-leaf dropseed, the yellow fringeless and snowy orchids and Turk&#39;s cap lilies.