Conservation

Protect your forest, working farm, waterways, and wildlife habitats through a conservation easement.

Through conservation easements, we protect working farms, forests, scenic and historic landscapes, rivers, vital wildlife habitats, and special areas that are protected for future generations.

Contact Our Conservation Team

Conservation Easement Focuses

Working Farms & Forests

We are currently losing 175 acres of farmland every hour, placing a huge focus on conserving and protecting working farms and forests.
Family Lands

Our team can work with you to protect land that has been in your family for generations, so that future generations may enjoy it.
Mitigation Easements

Generally mitigation banks are encumbered by conservation easements with long-term stewardship requirements.
Corporate Lands

Our team can help you with land your business may no longer need, making you more sustainable while donating to a 501(c)3 charity.

What is a conservation easement?

A conservation easement is a legal agreement between the landowner and the land trust that permanently limits the uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. The landowner continues to own the land and can live on it, sell it or pass it on to heirs with the agreement remaining in place.

Conservation easements can be placed on various types and sizes of both private and public land. In most cases, the landowner is eligible for Federal income, estate, and property tax benefits.

Environmental Services Offered

List of Services

nicks creek longleaf reserve

A Southern Conservation Trust Project

In December 2019, the Southern Conservation Trust, Inc. (SCT) was donated the 1,660 acres in Moore County, North Carolina that we call Nicks Creek Longleaf Reserve. Previously, the tract of land was slated for development into golf course, hotel/resort, residential and commercial uses. It is now a crown jewel private nature reserve that the SCT is proud to own and manage.