Aucilla River Old-growth forest saved

Lazaro Aleman, ECB Publishing Inc.

All's well that ends well. This is the case with the 160-acre parcel of old-growth cypress swamp near Sneads Smokehouse Lake on the Aucilla River that was under threat of logging. On Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 14, about 40 people -- including the key figures and agencies involved in the acquisition of the property -- gathered in the Main House at Dixie Plantation to close on the deal and celebrate the saving of the valuable trees. Key among these individuals were David Ward, chair of the Aucilla/Wacissa River Group (AWR); Mr. Thomas Weller, of the Palm Beach-based Pinehaven Plantation Properties LLC; Dr. Bill Palmer, president and CEO of Tall Timbers; and Hugh Thomas, executive director of the Suwanee River Water Management District (SRWMD). The ceremony on Wednesday entailed Weller closing on the property, which he purchased for nearly $500,000 from the original landowner, then turning around and selling it to Tall Timbers for $294,000, and Tall Timbers in turn selling it to the See FOREST page 3 SRWMD for $244,000, with the three transactions occurring almost simultaneously. This brings to an end an affair that started almost two years ago when officials of Ware Forest, Inc., the Georgia timber company that owned the two 80-acre parcels, began talking about logging the old timber. This raised the concern of area residents who didn't want to see the largely old-growth cypress swamp destroyed, particularly Robert Daniels. It was Daniels who first raised the alarm and got Ward, Roy King and others involved in the effort to save the trees, ultimately organizing into the AWR. The AWR then convinced the Monticello City Council and Jefferson County Commission to adopt resolutions in support of the protection and preservation of the two tracts and also eventually brought Tall Timber and the SRWMD into the effort. The timber company's asking price for the property, however, was more than the SRWMD could statutorily pay, as state rules prevent it from paying more than the appraised value. Ware Forest, meanwhile, continued making plans for the logging of the trees. Ware Forest's problem, however, was that it lacked access to the property, as it is landlocked. Further complicating Ware Forest's situation, the homeowners association of the subdivision adjacent to the 160-acre property refused give the timber company access via its roads. Ware Forest, in fact, sued the Ashville Area Property Owners Association (AAPOA) to gain the access, causing the association to accrue legal fees. All the while, Weller, Tall Timber, SRWMD and AWR worked behind the scenes to reach a resolution that would put the land into the public domain. Wednesday's ceremony was testament to the ultimate success of the latter effort. As Ward said in his brief presentation, the trees will hopefully endure, long after Wednesday's ceremony and its participants are gone and forgotten.