An affiliate of The Lyme Timber Company recently partnered with the Kestrel Land Trust and The Trustees of Reservations to acquire 2,864 acres of timberland in western Massachusetts.  “Lyme is pleased to help acquire these ecologically sensitive tracts, adding to the hundreds of thousands of acres of forestland we’ve permanently protected with partners across the United States,” said Peter Stein, one of Lyme’s Managing Directors.

The Lyme Timber Company signed an agreement with the Southeastern Climbers Coalition and Access Fund to provide access to a climbing area known as “Little Brushy” located on property owned by Lyme affiliates in southeastern Tennessee. Lyme is proud of this collaborative effort to allow the community to enjoy the lands it owns and manages.

“As a large landowner in the region, we recognize the important values these lands provide to the local community,” says Sean Ross, Managing Director at The Lyme Timber Company. “Our company has a long history of developing creative partnerships that allow the public to gain access for recreation on private lands, and we are excited to partner with the Access Fund and SCC to expand access for climbing and outdoor recreation in East Tennessee. We are happy we could find a way to make this arrangement work and look forward to welcoming the local climbing community onto our property and working together to protect and enjoy this natural resource.”

Lyme Timber received the Leadership in Conservation Award from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) during their annual conference last week. This award recognizes Lyme’s longstanding commitment to advancing conservation outcomes and our partnership on efforts to promote and protect biodiversity, research-based forest management practices, and climate-smart forestry.

The Lyme Timber Company has conserved 2,396 acres of forestland in Western Massachusetts in cooperation with W.D. Cowls, Kestrel Land Trust, and the Trustees of Reservations.

Those funds will cover the state’s portion of a nearly $20 million conservation easement for roughly 73,000 acres across Baraga, Iron and Marquette counties; a $15 million grant from the federal Forest Legacy Program and a $1 million grant from nonprofit National Fish & Wildlife Foundation were previously awarded.

Lands preserved under the conservation easement include forests, lakes, streams and wetlands. The collection of forested tracts adjoins the federal McCormick Wilderness Area in the Ottawa National Forest, as well as Michigan’s Craig Lake State Park. The project even includes the state’s highest elevation – Mt. Arvon.

Investment funds managed by The Lyme Timber Company LLC (“Lyme”) have sold one wetland mitigation bank in Virginia and five stream mitigation banks in West Virginia to a fund managed by Texas-based Conservation Equity Management. Mitigation banks are undeveloped properties that had previously suffered environmental degradation but are then restored to their previous ecological function under close regulatory supervision.

The Green Finance Initiative has published two case studies highlighting Lyme’s work to conserve forests and restore degraded wetlands. The case studies are part of a larger database that features mechanisms and models that mobilize private sector finance towards nature.

Affiliates of The Lyme Timber Company sold 1,495 acres to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to facilitate permanent protection of the land for hunting, fishing, hiking and other recreational opportunities in Benezette Township, Elk County. The property was immediately transferred to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to become open to the public as a new addition to Moshannon State Forest, bolstering the region’s climate resilience.

Announcing a new agreement to advance large-scale U.S. solar development while championing land conservation and supporting local community interests; signed by major solar developers, conservation groups, agricultural organizations, environmental justice groups, and Tribal entities.