State officials have signed an agreement with Weyerhaeuser that protects more than 1,600 acres of environmentally rich land across eastern North Carolina by adding it to the N.C. Registry of Natural Heritage Areas.
Weyerhaeuser has agreed to set aside eight tracts of land in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain for the conservation of rare species and high-quality natural communities, like Tidal Swamps and Bottomland Hardwood Forests.
Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, said the agreement will help protect several rare and endangered plants and animals in the Coastal Plain, some of which, like Coastal Goldenrod, are extremely rare.
The eight sites to be added to the registry are located in Pender, Sampson, Beaufort, Brunswick, Bertie and Hyde Counties. These areas provide important wildlife habitats and contribute to landscape resilience.
