Protecting a forest treasure

Norfolk Southern set the gold standard for corporate generosity with its decision to place a conservation protections on 12,500 forest acres in Dorchester County. The donated easement will ensure the continued existence of an immensely valuable tract in perpetuity.

The land is home to one of the largest stands of longleaf pine in the state. The easement provides that the property can't be subdivided and will preserve a portion of an ecosystem that once dominated the Southeast.

Brosnan is a few miles from Beidler Forest, an internationally known bird sanctuary that includes one of the nation's oldest bottomland forests. There's a possibility that the two large tracts could eventually be linked by other easements now under consideration by private landowners.

Will Haynie, executive director of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust, says that some conservation-minded property owners already have contacted his organization about similar protections on nearby land.

The Land Trust was the recipient of the easement for Brosnan Forest, which put its total protected acreage at more than 72,000. (Six years ago, it was 28,000.) The railroad company, which has owned Brosnan for 160 years, will continue to use the property as a refuge for hiking, hunting and fishing.

The growth of conservation holdings in the Lowcountry is helping to keep vital habitat intact where growth has been otherwise steadily consuming rural land. Nowhere has that been more evident than in Dorchester County, which has seen double-digit growth in recent years.

The county currently is revising its long-range land-use plan, which finally will provide zoning protections for the rural area. A major goal of the new plan is to restrain suburban development, which has altered the landscape and increased pressure on local schools, roads and other infrastructure.

Dorchester County Council has fought more than one battle against unwarranted growth in recent years, and the Brosnan easement should be one encouraging development as council continues its work.

Private contributions have been essential in protecting vast areas of rural acreage in Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties. The results include the ACE Basin, Beidler Forest, Bonneau Ferry, the historic district along Ashley River Road and, now, Brosnan Forest.

The foresighted generosity of Norfolk Southern should serve as an example to other landowners, particularly those corporations with vast timber tracts along the ever-advancing edge of the Charleston metropolitan area.