A 10-year environmental restoration program covering 132 acres is moving forward at Towaliga Preserve in Henry County, Georgia, supported by QTS Data Centers as part of its development-related conservation commitments.
The Southern Conservation Trust, which owns and protects the 403-acre Towaliga Preserve, will manage the restoration program. The effort targets a 77-acre area of degraded early-successional forest while an additional 52 acres of mature forest will receive targeted invasive plant management.
Initial work is scheduled to begin in fall 2026 with removal of approximately several thousand feet of old barbed-wire fencing and preparation of restoration areas.
Professional forestry contractors are expected to conduct staged thinning and mulching across the 77-acre restoration area. Invasive vegetation treatment is planned for 2027, followed by native tree planting during winter 2027-2028.
The program is designed to improve forest health, wildlife habitat and protection of the Towaliga River watershed. Approximately 1.5 miles of the upper Towaliga River runs through the preserve.
The initiative follows an earlier QTS-supported restoration project at Towaliga Preserve. During Phase 1, the Southern Conservation Trust planted 12,140 native trees representing 21 species across a 23-acre former agricultural field. The effort exceeded its original target of 7,000 trees.
The first phase also established research opportunities with the University of Georgia. Researchers are studying tree survival and growth across four research plots containing 576 trees representing 21 species. Findings from that work are expected to help inform restoration practices for the larger Phase 2 effort.
The restoration program extends beyond tree planting. The Southern Conservation Trust will oversee implementation, monitor progress and adjust management practices during the 10-year program.
The organization will continue managing the property after the formal restoration period ends as part of its ongoing stewardship responsibilities.
The 403-acre preserve contains oak-hickory-pine forests, bottomland and mesic hardwood forests, wetlands, streams and portions of the Towaliga River. Restoration activities are intended to improve native plant diversity, wildlife habitat, erosion control and water infiltration while maintaining opportunities for environmental education, research and outdoor recreation.
The partnership connects data center development with long-term conservation work in a rapidly developing part of Henry County. For data center owners and other developers, the project illustrates how development-related environmental commitments can extend beyond a project site through land restoration, watershed protection and long-term stewardship.
QTS’s support for Phase 2 continues a partnership with the Southern Conservation Trust that began in 2023 and has included reforestation, land stewardship, environmental education and volunteer activities.
Source: QTS.
