DORCHESTER, S.C., April 26,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation
(NYSE: NSC) announced today that it will permanently protect 1,105
acres of ecologically significant land in South Carolina's coastal plain through a
conservation easement. The protected land is home to the Coldwater
Branch Stream and Wetland Mitigation Bank at Brosnan Forest,
Norfolk Southern's 14,400-acre timber and wildlife preserve 35
miles northwest of Charleston in
Dorchester, South Carolina.
This easement furthers the company's wetlands conservation and
restoration initiatives that benefit the environment, economic
growth, and nearby communities. The easement is the third easement
donated by the company to the Lowcountry Land Trust (LLT).
LLT is one of the leading land trusts in the United States and currently protects over
150,000 acres of ecologically significant lands in South Carolina. Brosnan Forest is the largest
easement in LLT's portfolio.
"Restoration projects like Coldwater Branch reflect Norfolk
Southern's long-term vision of how conservation and business can
work together to benefit local communities, our stakeholders, and
the environment – bringing together the three pillars of
sustainability," said Josh Raglin,
Chief Sustainability Officer for Norfolk Southern. "Brosnan Forest
inspires how we think about sustainability as the heart of our
business; it is a model of sustainable forest management and a
leader in forest carbon programs to address climate change.
Lowcountry Land Trust continues to be a critical, long-term partner
in helping us protect this land for future generations."
Brosnan Forest Conservation Easement Timeline
- 2008: Protected 12,488 acres at Brosnan Forest through an
easement granted to LLT – one of the largest ever given by a
corporation in South Carolina and
one of the largest in the Southeast.
- 2015: Second donation added 290 additional acres of restored
pocosin wetlands under permanent easement protection.
- 2022: Raglin announced the 1,105-acre Coldwater Branch easement
on April 26 at a Sustainability
Summit hosted in partnership with Sustain SC to bring together
sustainability leaders in business and state government.
"Lowcountry Land Trust is proud to continue its strong
partnership with Norfolk Southern by holding the conservation
easement on Coldwater Branch, the latest commitment by the company
to stabilize and restore a vital stream complex in Dorchester County, South Carolina," said
Ashley Demosthenes, President &
CEO of Lowcountry Land Trust. "Restoration of these natural
landscapes will provide multiple direct and indirect benefits to
the site and the region, including improvements to ecological
function, air and water quality, wildlife habitat, and local
communities."
The Coldwater Branch project is restoring more than 6 miles of
streams and 1,105 acres of wetlands and adjacent upland buffers.
Restoration efforts include closing drainage ditches and
reestablishing meandering stream channels, streamside vegetation,
flood plain and groundwater connections, and native plant species
such as sweet bay, pond cypress, black gum, blueberries, honeycup,
and fetterbush. In total, over 300,000 native plants will be
planted, representing 23 distinct species of native vegetation.
Over time, cumulative and downstream benefits will also be seen,
as the effects of improvements to this headwater stream multiply.
The restoration will improve water quality and reduce impacts from
flooding in downstream communities including the nearby Four Holes
Swamp and the greater Edisto River Basin.
The construction phase of the Coldwater Branch project is
expected to be completed in early 2023.
Norfolk Southern's Brosnan Forest has evolved from a source of
timber for rail operations in the 1800s, to a demonstration forest
in the early part of the 20th century, to a model of modern forest
management today. It is now part of one of the largest intact
coastal ecosystems on the East Coast. Brosnan Forest is home to a
diverse ecosystem that includes one of the country's largest
remaining stands of longleaf pine which shelters the largest
population of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers on private
property under single ownership – a safe haven that has been
critical to their recovery. To learn more about Norfolk Southern's
ongoing efforts to build a better planet, visit
http://www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/about-ns/sustainability.html
About Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern
Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier
transportation companies, moving the goods and materials that drive
the U.S. economy. Norfolk Southern connects customers to markets
and communities to economic opportunity, with safe, reliable,
and sustainable shipping solutions. The company's service area
includes 22 states and the District of
Columbia, every major container port in the eastern
United States, and a majority of
the U.S. population and manufacturing base.
About the Lowcountry Land Trust
Founded in 1986,
the Lowcountry Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
with the mission to honor the relationship between people and land
by protecting irreplaceable Lowcountry lands and treasured places.
Lowcountry Land Trust has protected over 150,000 acres across 17
counties in South Carolina. More information about Lowcountry Land
Trust is available at www.lowcountrylandtrust.org.
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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation