Cumberland Forest Fund’s Acquisition of 253,000 Acres of Forestland

Cleary Gottlieb represented The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and a fund that it established, Cumberland Forest LP (Cumberland Forest Fund), pro bono, in the Cumberland Forest Fund’s acquisition of 253,000 acres of forestland across Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia—an area larger than the Shenandoah and Acadia National Parks combined, and one of the largest projects that TNC has undertaken in the eastern United States.

The acquisition marks the realization of the fund’s conservation strategy. The acquired forestland sits on a key animal migration corridor for the eastern United States, near the Jefferson and Daniel Boone National Forests and the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. Through the implementation of restoration strategies and sustainable forestry, the Cumberland Forest Fund will ensure the conservation of a significant portion of the Central Appalachians while helping to maintain biodiversity far beyond its borders.

Cleary also advised TNC in the formation of the Cumberland Forest Fund.