The Largest Land
Conservation Agreement in
New York State History
International Paper Company, State of New York
and the Conservation Fund Partner to Conserve
Land in the Adirondacks
“More than 100 years ago, the people of New York State had the
foresight to create the Adirondack Park to ensure the
preservation of these environmentally significant lands for our
benefit and that of future generations. New York is a national
leader in open space preservation and today, as we celebrate
Earth Day, we are proud to build on that legacy by announcing
the largest land conservation agreement in State history. Under
this agreement, we will protect more than 250,000 acres that will
provide new recreational opportunities for the public and
continue to support the local economy.”
Governor George E. Pataki,
Earth Day, 2004
New York State’s Commitment to
Open Space Conservation
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Since 1995, Governor Pataki has been working to make New
York a national leader in open space conservation
The project is part of the State’s continuing effort to
conserve working forests, a priority in the New York State
Open Space Conservation Plan
‹ Doubles the amount of working forest easements the
State holds within the Adirondack Park to more than
500,000 acres
Under Governor Pataki’s leadership, the State has committed
to the permanent conservation of more than 780,000 acres of
open space statewide
IP/DEC Working Forest
Conservation Easement Project
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Preserves 257,000 acres
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Working forest conservation easements on more than
255,000 acres (Easement A and Easement B)
Purchase of 2,000 acres in fee for addition to the Forest
Preserve
Consists of 21 separate tracts spread through 34
towns in 9 counties
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Warren, Washington, Franklin, Clinton, Hamilton, St.
Lawrence, Essex, Saratoga and Herkimer
A Win/Win Situation
For the environment, economy and future of the
Adirondacks
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Working and sustainably-managed forests to support
the economy and families in the communities of the
Adirondacks
Open space protection in perpetuity
Expanded public recreational opportunity
New York State will pay its proportionate share of local
property taxes
Project Focuses On
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Retaining IP’s productive timberlands in active forest
management
Public will gain new recreational opportunities
IP will remain as the
underlying fee owner
and continue its
sustainable management
of these lands
Why this Easement Project?
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Property has significant open space and natural
resources such as large unbroken tracts of forest
land and over 250,000 acres of forested watershed
lands feeding hundreds of Adirondack streams
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These natural resource areas represent every major
forest type in the Adirondacks.
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Forests included in the easement have been
managed for long-term timber harvesting and is a
large contributor to the base of regional pulp and
paper industry
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Natural resource values and traditional recreation
values will be preserved by easements which will
limit and restrict future development
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Property is part of the Northern Forest, a forested
landscape approximately 26 million acres in size
that stretched across northern New York,
Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine
Conservation Easements
The Legislature of the State of New York has
declared the public policy of the State to be the
conservation, preservation and protection of its
environmental assets and natural and man-made
resources, and has enacted Article 49, Title 3 of
the Environmental Conservation Law to provide
for and encourage the limitation and restriction of
development, and use of real property through
conservation easements.
The Adirondack State Land
Master Plan
Provides, in pertinent part, that “due to the
importance of the forest products industry to the
economy of the Adirondack Region, bulk acreage
purchases in fee should not normally be made
where highly productive forest land is
involved…however, conservation easements
permitting the continuation of sound forest
management and other land uses compatible with
the open space character of the Park should be
acquired wherever possible to protect and buffer
state lands.”
The State desires to:
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Prevent fragmentation of ownership
Prevent extensive subdivision and development
for non-forest purposes
Ensure that the property remains available for
future generations
Provide a plan for recreational activities that is
compatible for both public and private users
Terms of the Easement
I. Restrict commercial and
residential development
Subdivision Restrictions:
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Protected property is segregated into 21 tracts
A tract may include multiple detached parcels or an
individual parcel
Easement limits IP’s ability to subdivide and sell
individual parcels
Without the easement, under current APA regulations, IP
would be able to subdivide and sell off 120 parcels with no
permit required
I. Restrict commercial and
residential development (cont.)
Camp Development Restrictions:
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The easement restricts IP’s ability to construct new camps,
requiring IP to remove camps located in environmentally
sensitive areas in order construct new camps.
A net total of 40 new camps may be constructed by IP if it
removes 30 existing camps located in environmentally
sensitive locations
The new camps must be constructed away from water
bodies
II. Require modern sustainable
forestry practices
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Sustainable Forestry is defined as - forest management
activities that meet the needs of the present for forest
products without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs, and which
sustainability is achieved by practicing a land
stewardship ethic that integrates the reforestation,
managing, growing, nurturing, and harvesting of trees
for useful products with the conservation of soil, air,
and water quality, biological diversity, wildlife and
aquatic habitat, recreation, and aesthetics. (DEC’s
Sustainable Working Forestry Conservation
Easement)
II. Require modern sustainable
forestry practices (cont.)
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IP currently adheres to the Sustainable Forestry
Initiative® (SFI) of the American Forest and
Paper Association
IP lands are SFI® certified (obtained through
independent third
party audit and
verification)
Sustainable Forestry Initiative ®
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Comprehensive system of principles, objectives and
performance measures developed by professional foresters,
conservationists and scientists
Program objectives include:
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Broadening the practice of
sustainable forestry
Minimizing visual impact
of harvesting
Protecting water quality
Enhancing wildlife habitat
Use Best Management Practices (BMPs) to help meet
objectives
Best Management Practices
(BMPs)
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Contributes to a successful and environmentallysustainable timber harvest by helping to protect water
quality and forest and soil resources
Simple, often low-cost practices and techniques that can be
incorporated into timber harvests, such as:
‹ Developing a plan, including objectives for the timber
harvest and forest regeneration
‹ Planning, locating and constructing
landings and roads
‹ Planning proper skid trails
III. Provide certain public
recreational rights
Easement A (84,232 acres)
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Grants New York State with full public recreation rights,
including:
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hunting, fishing, and trapping
hiking and camping
canoeing/boating
Recreational plans to be developed by DEC and approved by
IP
Private lease camps will retain exclusive 1-acre envelopes
III. Provide certain public
recreational rights (cont.)
Easement B (171,004 acres)
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Provides DEC with rights to maintain and/or develop
snowmobile trails, with other specific recreation rights for
certain tracts
These lands include approximately 133 mile of existing,
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
(OPRHP)-funded snowmobile trails that will be permanently
secured for public use
Recreational plans to be developed by DEC and approved by
IP on Easement B lands
Existing recreational rights of club/camp lessees will be
unaffected
IP Lands by Town
Town
Easement A
Acres
Easement B
Acres
Fee
Acres
Total
Acres
ALTAMONT
ARIETTA
BLACK BROOK
BRIGHTON
COLTON
CORINTH
CROWN POINT
DAY
DRESDEN
EDINBURG
ELIZABETHTOWN
FORT ANN
FRANKLIN
GREENFIELD
HAGUE
HOPE
HOPKINTON
INDIAN LAKE
JOHNSBURG
LAKE LUZERNE
LAKE PLEASANT
LEWIS
LONG LAKE
MORIAH
PARISHVILLE
PERU
PIERCEFIELD
PUTNAM
QUEENSBURY
TICONDEROGA
WEBB
WELLS
WESTPORT
WILLSBORO
8,975
3,924
0
10,145
90
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8,844
0
0
0
2,317
2,610
0
0
22,850
0
0
0
102
604
18
0
0
0
0
10,165
0
0
1,859
636
17,521
0
12,064
8,902
15,149
12,331
5,118
4,189
8,473
1,052
0
165
6,184
1,637
14,716
0
1,323
3,790
1,421
2,537
10,618
9,204
1,232
0
3,115
604
38
8,332
26,114
1,981
8,149
768
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
333
0
379
0
0
0
97
0
0
0
151
0
0
0
526
353
0
0
0
0
0
80
0
108
0
0
10,834
4,560
17,521
10,145
12,154
8,902
15,149
12,331
5,451
4,189
8,852
1,052
8,844
165
6,281
1,637
17,033
2,610
1,474
3,790
24,271
2,537
11,144
9,557
1,334
604
3,133
604
38
8,412
26,114
12,254
8,149
768
Acquisition
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Overall project (fee and easement) will be phasedin over a 3 year period
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74,957 acres to be closed in 2004
79,110 acres in 2005
101,169 acres in 2006
IP is given a 5-year period to convert area leases
to 1-acre camp envelope leases
Costs
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New York State will pay its proportionate share of
local property taxes
2/3 of IP’s lands are enrolled in New York State
forest tax law programs (480/480a)
State will pay up to fair market value
Price to be determined by appraisal process agreed
to by the State, TCF and IP
Funding:
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The Environmental Protection Fund
State to seek Forest Legacy Funding (administered by
the U.S. Forest Service)
The International Paper Company
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Businesses include paper, packaging and forest
products
The largest private landowner within the
Adirondack Park and one of the largest private
landowners in the world, with more than 19
million acres of forestlands worldwide
Headquartered in the U.S., with operations in over
40 countries and market presence in more than
120 nations
The Conservation Fund
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A national nonprofit organization, founded in
1985
Seeks innovative conservation solutions for the
21st Century
Acts to protect the nation’s legacy of land and
water resources in partnership with other
organizations
Has helped to protect more than 3.7 million acres
of land and water resources throughout the U.S.
Water quality protection, public recreation, continued sustainable
forestry and a stable tax base for local communities are all part of
the reason why this project represents a win/win for our
environment, our economy and the future of the Adirondacks.