TRUE — Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney: The Billionaire Buying Forests to Save Them

Analysis summary

Extensive reporting and legal records confirm Tim Sweeney has purchased over 50,000 acres and placed them under permanent conservation easements to prevent development.

Key findings

• Tim Sweeney has acquired over 50,000 acres of land across 15 counties in North Carolina since 2008 for the purpose of environmental conservation.
• He utilizes 'conservation easements,' which are legally binding agreements that permanently restrict development on the land, ensuring it remains wild regardless of future ownership.
• His holdings include the 7,000-acre Box Creek Wilderness, which he successfully protected from a proposed power line project through a permanent easement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• In 2021, Sweeney donated 7,500 acres in the Roan Highlands to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, marking the largest private land donation in North Carolina's history.

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