[ North Carolina ] A forest summit held Wednesday in Stanly County addressed the growing concern of development in the state. In the past decade, more than a million acres of woodland has been destroyed in North Carolina , primarily for real estate development. Since about 90 percent of the state’s woodlands are privately owned, land owners were the target audience for the summit. “We want to maintain a base of forest land in the state, in forest productive forest,” said Stephen Whitfield of N.C. Woodlands. “Because that benefits wildlife, society, it benefits soil and water quality, produces oxygen for us, helps clean the air also builds wealth when people sell their timber.”

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org