The Foundation for Sustainable Forests has acquired and permanently protected 106 acres of woodland in Girard Township, Erie County.
The tract, located off South Creek Road just west of State Road near the Borough of Platea, holds tributaries to Little Elk Creek and is an important forest reserve in an area under increasing pressure from development.
Ownership of the land by the Foundation ensures it will forever remain forested land free from development and managed to the highest ecological standards, providing a wealth of ecological services and recreational and social benefits to the area while remaining on the tax rolls.
The property will also serve as an example of and learning center for forest sustainability and the best in management practices.
The acquisition was made possible through the support and generosity of the sellers, who provided financing. Diane Zenchenko Esser of Millcreek Township, one of the sellers will retain a minority interest. Esser is founder and executive director of I Am A Planet Kid, a children’s environmental education program that often partners with the Foundation on programming.
“I am proud of my alliance with the Foundation for Sustainable Forests,” Esser said. “We are aligned in goals to educate and sustain our forests and contribute to a better quality of life for our families. I know the land is in good hands.”
The acquisition of the property in Girard Township, a project that has been in the works for several years, is the Foundation’s first in Erie County.
Headquartered in Spartansburg, Pa the Foundation for Sustainable Forests is a nonprofit land trust and sustainable forestry education and advocacy organization working throughout northwestern Pennsylvania, western New York and northeastern Ohio.
The Foundation’s mission is to protect forested land and ecosystems and support rural communities through working forests; to raise awareness of the importance of preserving intact forested ecosystems; and to highlight sustainable forestry and practices for the benefit of the land.
For more information, visit the Foundation for Sustainable Forests website or send email to: Info@FoundationForSustainableForests.org.