Georgia DNR, Partners Announce Deal to Restore Beloved Pine Log WMA

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and partners announced an agreement today to re-establish Pine Log Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and protect over 14,000 acres that made up most of the former northwest Georgia WMA prized for outdoor recreation, rare wildlife and imperiled habitats.

DNR Commissioner Walter Rabon said the pending acquisition has been one of the agency’s top conservation priorities. Rabon also thanked supporters including Aubrey Corp., the Neel family-based business that owns the land, local governments, state legislators and others.

“Over the last four years, we never lost sight of the goal to acquire Pine Log and permanently secure it for public recreation and wildlife conservation. But we also made it to this point because the Neels and Bartow and Cherokee County leaders, along with many others, shared that focus and perseverance.”

The newly-named “The Neel Family - Pine Log Wildlife Management Area” covers 14,640 acres in Bartow and Cherokee counties – the largest contiguous tract of private forest in north Georgia. It harbors over 30 species and habitats considered conservation priorities in Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan – from Cherokee darters ribbed in neon green to wispy white fringeless orchids and ridgeline stands of montane longleaf pine. Only an hour from Atlanta and part of a fast-developing area, The Neel Family - Pine Log Wildlife Management Area will again serve as a haven for hunters, anglers, hikers and birders, while providing a wildland link connecting the Appalachian Mountains to the Dugdown conservation corridor that spans west Georgia to reach Talladega National Forest in Alabama.

DNR leased Pine Log as a WMA from 1977 until 2023.

Aubrey Corp. representatives Jim Ramseur and Samantha Wheeler with Ramseur Real Estate Advisors  said the agreement “reflects the strength of partnerships at every level” and the vision and leadership of former Aubrey President Bob Neel, “whose desire was to continue the family’s legacy and preserve the greenspace … for future generations to enjoy.”

“Protecting Pine Log Mountain ensures this remarkable landscape will remain accessible for outdoor recreation, wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship long into the future,” Ramseur stated.

Governor Brian Kemp, with support from the Georgia Legislature, appropriated $15 million toward the purchase. Bartow and Cherokee governments are providing matching funds.

DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division plans to re-open Pine Log to the public in time for turkey hunting season in spring 2027.

PARTNER COMMENTS

Lee Neel, President Aubrey Corporation 
“It has been a joy and an honor for our family, over four generations, to manage and build out the footprint of what is now the Pine Log WMA. This is a truly special and unique place—not only because of its ecology, remoteness, and extraordinary size within a rapidly changing development corridor, but also because of its geography, geology, and rich history.

Our family is deeply thankful to the community and to the community leaders who recognized the importance of Pine Log and worked so hard to bring it into the portfolio of State-owned lands that future generations can enjoy.

I cannot speak highly enough of the time, dedication, and devotion I witnessed throughout this entire process from the State DNR Lands group, as well as from local and state leaders, including Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor, CAO Peter Olsen, State Representative Matthew Gambill, and State Representative Mitchell Scoggins.

I saw firsthand how these gentlemen repeatedly came together with a shared determination and focus on honoring what the community they represent wanted—to see Pine Log preserved. They worked diligently with both our family and the State for several years to help make this vision a reality.

This is a tremendous win for the future of Bartow and Cherokee Counties and for the State of Georgia. Most importantly, it ensures that this remarkable landscape will remain a place that can be enjoyed, appreciated, and protected for generations to come.”

Steve Taylor - Bartow County Commissioner
“The Neel family could have divided Pine Log Mountain and sold it off, but they looked for a way not to. The county’s part was to plan for growth where appropriate, so that the vast majority of the land – and the mountain itself – could be conserved, and to commit local funds toward the purchase.  Approximately 12,000 of these acres lie in Bartow County, and all of it will now belong to the public permanently.”

SUPPORTING PARTIES

• Counties: Bartow, Cherokee
• State government: Governor Brian Kemp, State Representative Matthew Gambill (Cartersville), State Representative Mitchell Scoggins (Cartersville), State Senator Chuck Hufstetler (Rome), Commissioner Steve Taylor (Bartow Co.), Commission Chairman Harry Johnston (Cherokee Co.)

PINE LOG/AT A GLANCE

• 14,640 acres in Bartow and Cherokee counties.
• Demand is high for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and hiking, with game including deer, turkey, small game and dove. DNR stocked trout in Stamp Creek when Pine Log was a WMA. 
• Supports four federally listed species (Cherokee and Etowah darters, white fringeless orchid, and Tennessee yellow-eyed grass).
• Home to 24 plant and animals deemed species of greatest conservation need in Georgia’s 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan, plus eight high-priority forest and wetland habitats.
• Identified as a conservation hub in the Wildlife Action Plan and connects the Appalachian Mountains to Talladega National Forest through the Dugdown conservation corridor.
• Acquisition protects 31 miles of headwater streams in four watersheds rated Wildlife Action Plan priorities. The streams also provide drinking water for Bartow County and metro Atlanta.
• Cultural and historic resources include a Native American rock wall from the Woodland period and remnants of iron and magnesium mining operations from the 1800s. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed Pine Log Mountain on a list of “places in peril” in 2024.
• DNR will develop a long-term management plan to protect the site’s unique ecological features, improve habitats, protect water quality and provide for compatible recreation.  

Source: Georgia DNR

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