"It seems like the whole South is for sale"

Forest industrial landowners are selling millions of acres of their Southern U.S. forests. These corporate forest owners are being pinched by rising property taxes, mergers and huge debt. "It seems like the whole South is for sale," says Ken Driggers of South Carolina's Palmetto Conservation Foundation.
Companies like Weyerhauser, Bowater, Inland-Temple and International Paper are fueling this "modern land rush". It is being considered a grand but one-time chance by many conservation organizations to protect by owning. Tavia McCuean, head of the Nature Conservancy of Georgia says, "It's an unprecedented opportunity - we've been on the phone a lot these days talking with other groups on how we can protect a lot of this land."
Private investors are also buying forests. Real estate investors are acquiring lands that have high commercial value around cities and tourist areas.
One concern is that cash-strapped States will not have the funds to take advantage of this buyers market. It is also feared that management agreements made with industry by the States for public hunting will now be controlled by private interests. Another concern is the issue of land fragmentation. Land will continue to be divided into smaller parcels with management objectives that may conflict with traditional forestry and wildlife.
Read Lester DeCoster's Fragmentation Interview.
Changing Forests Means Changing Foresters - An Interview with Lester DeCoster
Forestry Giants Selling Off Land Discussion