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CHARLESTON -- Thirty-eight thousand acres of West Virginia forestland will remain permanently protected under what the West Virginia Land Trust is calling the largest private conservation project in state history.
The Land Trust has finalized five conservation easements covering land in Monroe, Summers and Fayette counties, with additional acreage in Nicholas and Greenbrier counties. The easements keep the land under forest cover forever, require sustainable timber management, and protect 81 miles of streams and rivers, while leaving open the possibility of expanded public recreation opportunities in the future.
“This project is extraordinary not only because of its size, but because of the lasting benefits it creates for West Virginians,” said Ashton Berdine, West Virginia state director for The Conservation Fund. “These easements protect drinking water, strengthen outdoor recreation economies, sustain working forests, and preserve places that communities have valued for generations.”
The project traces back to June 2025, when Aurora Sustainable Lands approached The Conservation Fund about conserving thousands of acres of privately owned forestland through permanent easements. Because The Conservation Fund does not hold easements itself, it turned to the West Virginia Land Trust to complete the deal.
The five easements include:
Monroe County: Forestland bordering Back Creek, protecting headwaters and wildlife habitat.
Summers County: Land surrounding Keeney Knob, safeguarding high-elevation forests and downstream water quality.
Fayette County (three easements including acreage within Nicholas and Greenbrier Counties): A large forestland adjoining the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, offering new opportunities for recreation, hunting, fishing, hiking, and rock climbing, particularly along the Meadow River corridor.
The conservation easements deliver several major outcomes for West Virginia's lands, waters, wildlife, and communities, according to the Land Trust. The protected streams and rivers fall within the Greenbrier and New River watersheds, including designated source-water protection areas. Keeping the surrounding forest intact filters sediment and pollutants naturally, meaning reduced municipal water treatment and stormwater management costs. It also can help reduce flooding risks by allowing the land to absorb and slowly release rainfall and snowmelt.
The protected land itself shelters a range of rare and federally protected species and critical wildlife habitats. Habitat for Virginia spiraea along the Meadow River, multiple endangered bat species such as the northern long-eared, Indiana, and Virginia big-eared bats, the proposed endangered tricolored bat, and endangered mussels in high-quality streams will now be permanently protected. The project also preserves habitat for eight globally rare plant species, two dozen plant species rare to West Virginia, and a dozen rare animal species - including snails, salamanders, butterflies, and bats - as well as four species found only in the Central Appalachians, such as shale barren wildflowers and a burrowing crayfish.
The easements also protect that region’s timber economy. Sustainable harvesting can continue, supporting forestry jobs and rural economies while keeping the large, contiguous tracts -- including individual parcels exceeding 4,000 acres and connected groupings topping 10,000 acres -- from being broken up or developed, the Land Trust said.
“These forests are more than just individual parcels on a map -- they are vast, connected landscapes of mountains, valleys, streams, and wildlife habitat,” said Amy Cimarolli, the Land Trust’s land protection program director.
She said keeping large tracts intact matters because forest fragmentation is among the biggest long-term threats facing West Virginia’s woodlands. “It means these forests can remain intact, healthy, and economically viable working forests for generations to come,” she said. “Knowing that 38,000 acres will remain forests forever is something we can all be incredibly proud of.”
Aaron Paul, chief commercial officer at Aurora Sustainable Lands, said the deal sets a new bar for conservation work in the state.
“Thanks to the collaboration of the West Virginia Land Trust, The Conservation Fund, and local partners, 38,000 acres of unique working forests are now permanently protected,” Paul said. “Aurora is proud to have helped make this happen and looks forward to continuing this work together.”