In 2024, TennGreen Land Conservancy partnered with Chris Johnsen to permanently protect 36 acres of pristine forest with a conservation easement. The property, known as Dry Fork Hollow, sits nestled near the bustling Highway 12 directly across from the Ashland City Fairgrounds. In kind, Dry Fork Hollow faced significant risk of development amid Ashland City’s rapid expansion before it was protected with a TennGreen easement.
These hilly 36 acres are part of the Western Highland Rim Forests Conservation Opportunity Area (COA), identified by the 2015 Tennessee State Wildlife Action Plan. This COA represents the largest contiguous forest habitat in Middle Tennessee, connecting to the extensive Central Hardwoods forest region that stretches northward.
The completed conservation easement will shield this precious forest from three main threats: excessive subdivision, significant development and construction, and harmful timbering or harvesting activities. By restricting destructive actions, the easement ensures the land will remain a thriving habitat for diverse flora and fauna, contributing to the ecological health of the Ashland City region.
There are trees out here well over 200 years old. Ferns grow wild everywhere. The turkeys are out here often. So are the hummingbirds and box turtles. I have vegetable and flower gardens by the house. All of this would be gone someday if I didn’t protect it, and I’ve been able to with TennGreen. My late husband, Roger, and I bought this property in 1991. Now that I have this conservation easement, I can move somewhere, pass on, or whatever comes, and this land will never be developed.
