Retired Educators Offer Forest Land Leases for Preservation

March 23, 2008 - PRLog -- Sue and Jerry Dawson, retired educators with over 50 years combined experience, decided to do something concrete and specific toward keeping the planet “green and pristine”.

According to Jerry, "Everywhere we looked people were trying to sell carbon offsets, take donations for saving a tree in some remote, unnamed forest, or asking for money in order to help the earth without mentioning just what was going to be accomplished. We decided to do something not only different, but specific, sustainable, and meaningful. We purchased some prime forest land and now offer that land in one-year lease parcels to insure that it remains green and pristine and development-free.”

Jerry and Sue plan to promote the idea through their website, www.forestlease.com, and hope to share the idea with schools. A classroom could lease a parcel and then research that land to study what effect that forest will have on the environment. Lessons in GPS coordinates, mapping, land size, the effect of trees on the atmosphere, and countless other areas of study could be conducted on the leased land.

The cost of the forest leases is just $200 per 1,000 square feet of forest land per year. “This is, at best, a break-even price for the land. We have to pay for the initial land purchase, the taxes, and all maintenance. If we do any better than break even we plan to purchase more forest land and hopefully expand our program,” stated Sue.

Accessibility is a unique and important aspect of ForestLease. Any lease holders may visit the land at any time or may ask for photo updates on the land. “We are very open about what we are doing and encourage our lease holders to stay as close as they can to the land they are protecting,” Jerry concluded.

Website: forestlease.com